Call of Duty
by gothraven89
Summary: Don Epps had always though his baby brother was lousy at keeping secrets. Boy was he wrong. The NSA clearance wasn't the only thing Charlie's been hiding. AU and loving it. Conclusion up. Sequel in the works
1. Ch 1: Fun in Damascus

Call of Duty

_Don has always said that I am lousy when it comes to keeping secrets. I hide a smirk all to myself at his obliviousness, if only he and everyone else knew of what I really do for a living. If only they knew that I am one of three of the best CIA operatives in the world, my two colleagues and I are a deadly force that has made many dangerous men disappear, permanently. For now, we have been deactivated, going back to our separate lives, putting up the façade of being civilians. But in the back of my mind, I would always wonder when we would be called back to duty, because the war between men, will never end, no matter how much we want it to. _

_Inner monologue of Charlie Epps Codename: " Ghost" _

" Hey Ghost, you got any extra ammo on you, I'm running low. Asked Julio Vargas, looking expectantly at the young man sitting in the corner, methodically oiling and polishing the disassembled pieces of a powerful automatic-revolver.

Ghost, also known as Charlie Epps looked up from his present task to give Julio an incredulous look. He then reached into the backpack resting beside the chair he was sitting in and pulled out two ammo clips. He tossed them over to Julio.

" You still haven't learned the art of restocking, Mojave? Smirked Charlie as he turned his gaze back to cleaning his already immaculate gun.

" Your asking for a miracle on that subject Ghost. Smiled Christian Wolfe, the third man in the room.

" Shut up Nighthawk. Grumbled Mojave as he put the two clips into his pack. Charlie was now assembling his service weapon when an a nearly nonexistent sound filled his ears.

" The boss is coming. He said without looking up. Christian and Julio were about to ask how he knew that when the door to the room burst open and several men entered, the last being Commander Derek Steele, the " Boss" of this CIA unit. Charlie, Christian, and Julio all looked up but didn't stand to attention, Steele never liked it when they did, made him feel old.

" Hey Boss, what brings you here? Asked Christian.

" There's been change of plans, the deal is going down tonight, probably at midnight. Answered Steele.

Julio and Christian both exchanged puzzled looks before the both turned back to gaze at Charlie, who had finished reassembling his gun. With an experienced flick of his thumb, the weapon clicked into service and the young math genius looked up. Christian and Julio both felt a thrill of anticipation as a predatory smile slowly spread across Charlie's face. The two older men returned the smile before turning back to Steele. " No problem. They all growled in unison, grinning savagely. Steele smirked, he loved these guys, especially Charlie, out of the three, he was the most trained, deadly in all forms of combat from sniping to samurai sword fighting, Steele still had a bit of a hard time thinking that once the team was deactivated, Charlie would go back to being a simple College professor at CALSCI, and consultant for various security organizations. His older brother was an FBI agent, who was totally clueless to the fact that baby brother was a CIA operative with fifteen years of experience.

" Have fun tonight boys, you may want to keep one or two of these sons a bitches alive for a little chat, but do what you gotta do to see home again, Toby will pick you guys up in half an hour. Said Steele, grimness in his words as he turned and left, the other agents following.

With a click of the door, the three men silently and calmly sprung into action. Julio and Christian headed to their corners of the room to get their things. Charlie holstered his revolver and set about putting on his combat outfit, he checked his digital wristwatch, it was two hours till midnight in here in Damascus. Two hours before the fun began. The mission was simple, stop a small but deadly terrorist cell from acquiring a very powerful bomb, one which Intel had learned, was intended to be detonated on American soil. There orders were to stop the transaction and capture those involved, if these terrorists were armed, the three of them had permission to terminate any resistance.

As Charlie put on his modified Kevlar vest over the plain black long-sleeve shirt he had on and strapped on several more gun holsters on his hips an legs, his mind drifted to when he'd called his brother Don just minutes before he'd been picked up nearly three months ago. He could remember his exact words from when he'd been standing in the foyer of his house, with duffle bag ready. He'd called Don on his cell and instead he'd heard the voice message recorder, so he'd left his beloved older brother a message

_" Don, hey it's me Charlie, listen, by the time you get this message, I'll be long gone. I know that you're gonna be mad at me and I'm sorry. I can't tell you where I'm going. Please tell dad not to worry, I promise I'll come back , again I'm sorry for doing this to the both of you, I wish there was some other way… I love you Don… Tell Dad I love him too… I have to go…bye. He pressed the end button and tried to master his now constricted throat, reigning in his emotions as he picked up his duffle bag and headed out the door, the sound of it shutting behind him, symbolic of the fate which he had just sealed for himself. _

Charlie shook himself out of his stroll down memory lane and finished gearing up, strapping on several more weapons, he then took off the plain black hair band around his other wrist, he pulled back his unruly curls into a tight ponytail. That coupled with the several days worth of facial stubble made him look like a totally different person than the normally clean shaven college professor. Charlie filled another one of the numerous pockets of his baggy black cargo pants with extra bullet magazines and strapped a sheathed samurai sword onto his back. He checked his watch, one hour and thirty minutes till show-time. Julio and Christian were also ready to go, the three of them dressed in black and heavily armed.

" You guys ready to party? Asked Charlie, a small smirk turning the corner of his mouth.

" Hell yeah. Growled Christian.

" Without a doubt Ghost. Added Julio as he slid one of his own guns into a hip holster. Charlie checked his watch, they had ten minutes to spare before Toby would call them to come down to the back of the rundown motel they were at.

The three of them sat in charged silence, they were all on edge, before the night was out, blood would be spilled. It was Christian who broke the silence,

" I hate the waiting. He grumbled.

" Patience is a virtue Vargas. Smirked Charlie.

" A virtue he'll probably never learn. Muttered Christian, easily ducking out of the way as Julio tried to smack him upside the head. Charlie gave a small chuckle, but it died the moment his cell phone rang. He pulled out the Motorola Razor from his back pocket and answered

" We'll be right down". He flipped the phone off and looked at his fellow operatives, the relaxed atmosphere was instantly replaced by one of grim anticipation.

Charlie walked out of the door in silence, Julio and Christian following suite. They quickly made their way through the winding hallway before the reached the back fire exit door. The moment the three of them stepped out, they headed straight for the black van parked to their right.

" Hey boys. Said Toby, the blonde haired, blue eyed driver as the three operatives quickly jumped into the vehicle.

" Hey Tobias, take us to the party. Smirked Charlie.

" Yes sir. Said Toby as he turned the ignition and urged the car into motion, their destination, an abandoned warehouse at the very outskirts of the city. Charlie checked his wrist watch, it read 11:00 PM, one more hour till bedlam erupted, it was a twenty minute drive to the place. Charlie heaved a small sigh as he watched the Damascus street through the windshield.

" I better keep my promise. Thought Charlie.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, clear across the globe, it was early afternoon and Don Epps was sitting in the break room, staring out the window, lost in his thoughts, which were naturally about Charlie. He still couldn't imagine that three entire months had gone by since his baby brother had simply vanished off the face of the earth, leaving only a recorded voicemail on the FBI agents cell-phone. Don was tempted to pull out his cell phone and listen to the message again for what seemed the billionth time. Not a moment went by he didn't think about his brother and the unanswered questions still running through his head. He was so preoccupied with his thoughts, he didn't notice the presence of someone else in the room.

" Donnie? Came a soft, male voice, Alan Epps. Don whirled around, startled to see his father standing there.

" Dad, what are you doing here? Asked Don. Alan held up the yellow plastic bag he was holding,

" I thought I'd bring you some lunch. Answered Alan simply. As if on cue, Don stomach growled loudly, the FBI sent a sheepish grin towards his father and beckoned him over. The two of them set to work eating the sandwiches and talking, though they both had one though in common. Charlie. Where was he? What was he doing? Was he okay?

Toby pulled the car to a stop on the shadowy curb of a street, warehouse looming before them behind some smaller building. Toby turned to look at his passengers, Ghost was sheathing his samurai sword, which would come in handy when it came to knocking out the lights. Mojave was checking the barrel of one of his revolvers, the man was a lethal shot, and Nighthawk was making sure that the grenades he had on him were stable and checking his climbing gear, this dude loved to blow things up and give Spiderman a run for his money, the three of them had all donned black ski masks and night vision goggles. Commander Steele had men stationed in all of the surrounding building. The plan was simple, they'd wait till the "Three" as they were also known had had their fun, then they'd go in for prisoner pickup.

" Good luck you… Toby trailed off because when he turned, he was met with an empty car.

" I gotta learn how to do that. Toby muttered as he pulled away, hoping those guarding the warehouse hadn't noticed the black van.

" You guys are clear to execute, the deal is going down as we speak. Good luck. Came the fuzzy voice of Commander Steele into each of their earpieces.

" Copy that. The three of them said as they split up to do there parts before converging on the targets. Ghost was to take out the lights, Mojave to take out the guards, and Nighthawk would create the diversion before things would get messy. Ghost stealthily made his way past one of the guards and crawled into the warehouse via a broken window. He unsheathed his sword and proceeded towards the power room, knowing there would be more guards waiting. Mojave screwed on the silencer to the barrel of his automatic revolver, his target was insight, a guy in his thirties with a rifle in his hand, on of seven men guarding the outside of the building.

" I'm in. Came a grainy voice, Ghost.

" Copy. Mojave answered as he took aim and fired, the guard hit the ground, a perfect dime shaped hole between his eyes.

Mojave quickly dragged the corpse into the shadows and proceeded to the next target, in a mater of five minutes, all but one of the guards had met their maker, however, that was quickly rectified. Nighthawk was silently climbing up the building, his task was to get to the roof and drop some of his low power grenades down the air-vent.

Inside the building, Ghost had reached the power room without being detected.

" I'm in the power room, Nighthawk, bombs away when I get the lights, Mojave, get your ass in the building the second you here the boom. Said Ghost as he drove his sword with full force into the power box, watching as sparks erupted and a loud pop was heard.

Darkness instantly surrounded him as the lights gave out, the startled yells of the targets filling his ears.

" Showtime. Growled Ghost as he switched on his night vision goggles.

Mojave and Nighthawk felt savage joy rock through them as they heard this single word. They slid on their night vision specs and found their ways into the building, Nighthawk was above the floor Ghost was in, and Mojave was below, the three of them quickly converging on the center of the warehouse, where the leaders were. It would only be a few seconds before they would encounter the other guards. Ghost turned a corner and came face to face with the muzzle of a shotgun, which didn't faze him for a seconds. There was a blur of silver light as Ghost swung his sword horizontally, splitting the muzzle in half, but he wasn't done. He swung the sword up in a diagonal, feeling it go clean through his target. Ghost gave his sword a small twirl before continuing on, not bothering to dwell on the corpse with his head sliced in half diagonally.

Mojave pulled out one of his guns and fired at the two guards in front of him, two shots and they were both no longer a problem, even in the pitch black. The Operative could see the entrance to the center of the building. Nighthawk let out a snarl as he yanked a guard by the back of his shirt and flung him through a window, hearing the man scream before a satisfying crunch. He shook his head before turning a corner, seeing three guards ahead of him. They all stared at each other before the guards began to run towards him. Nighthawk stood still and grinned beneath his mask as he pulled out a pair of powerful stun grenades. With a flick of his wrists, he send them rolling towards their targets, then an ear shattering boom and a brilliant flash of light filled the hall, temporarily overloading Nighthawks night vision, but in an instant, the light was gone, and his nigh vision specs cleared, revealing the heat signatures of the three guards, out cold. Nighthawk bolted past them, as he did, both he and Mojave heard Ghost's voice in their ears.

" Remember to show some mercy." was the last thing they all heard before they swooped down on their prey.

Meanwhile, in an apartment building adjacent to the warehouse. Derek Steele and the surveillance team were watching the proceedings via laser scope.

" Man these guys are fast. Commented one of the computer techs as he watched the green outlines of the three systematically take out man after man, killing or rendering them unconscious.

" This is nothing, I once saw the leader, Ghost take out seven men in under ten seconds, on a mission in Brazil. Piped up another Tech.

" Could we focus people? Asked Steele, though secretly he understood the awe these Techs felt, these guys were like something out of Tom Clancy's Splinter-Cell.

If these Techs only knew, after this mission these guys would be deactivated until further notice. Julio Vargas would go back to being a deputy sheriff in Phoenix Arizona, Christian Wolfe, a pastry chef at a premiere New York restaurant, and Charlie Epps, a genius and college math professor in Pasadena California. Steele was shaken from his musings when a voice echoed through the speakers.

" Hey Steele, time for you guys to do your job. Came a slightly breathless, but strangely amused voice.

" Copy that Ghost. He answered.

" Blue unit, you are go for prisoner extraction. He voiced into a second mike.

" Acknowledged. Came the Unit leader's voice.

In an adjacent building, the blue unit quickly pulled into action. The group consisting of fifteen men quickly rushed across the street into the building, which was still pitch black inside. They were about to kick the door in when the lights suddenly came back on, the back up generator had been activated.

" Okay guys lets go. Said the leader as they stormed the building, the back up lights turning the hallways an eerie green glow. The unit quickly made their way through the winding halls until they reached the center of the building, when they reached the baron room, they all stopped dead at what they saw. Ten men lay dead on the ground and in the center of the gruesome circle were five terrified looking men, on their knees, tide together, the gags on there mouths stifling the fact that they were whimpering in fear, the warheads still safe in their cases. The "Three" were no where to be found, the Unit leader spoke into a shoulder microphone.

" Commander Steele, the prisoners are secure but your guys are gone. He said.

" Acknowledged, get the prisoners and pull out. Came Steele's voice. In the apartment, Steele gave a tired smile, he'd learned long ago not to expect the big " Three" to stick around after a job, but he knew, they'd be back at the motel by morning.

Said morning came in a full blaze of hot sunlight, smiling over Damascus. Sunlight poured slowly through the single window of the motel room. Soft snoring filled the room, coming from two of the three occupants of the single room. Julio and Christian were out cold, sprawled on their single beds. Charlie however, was wide awake, he hadn't managed to get drunk out of his mind like Julio, or taken two sleeping pills like Christian. Charlie heaved a small sigh as he went make to meditating. It would be another hour before Steele would pay them another visit. Meditation helped Charlie come to terms with the lives he had ended the previous night. A loud groan shattered any hopes of concentration, Charlie opened his eyes and stared at a very hung over Julio Vargas, rolling around in his bed before bolting to the single bathroom. Charlie bit back a chuckle as he got up and headed to his backpack lying beside his bed, fishing out a bottle of aspirin. He reached the bathroom door at the exact moment Julio stumbled out. With a knowing smile and a cocked eyebrow, Charlie held out the bottle. " Thanks. Grumbled Julio as he stumbled back into the bathroom. Another groan filled the room and Charlie turned to see a very wasted Christian Wolfe squinting against the bright sunlight.

" Rise and shine pill popper. Smirked Charlie.

" I'll rise but I refuse to shine. Grumbled Christian.

" Where's Julio? He added as he scrubbed at his face wearily.

" He's in hangover city. Answered Charlie as he gestured to the bathroom. Christian nodded before laying his head over his crossed arms, laying on his belly and staring at Charlie as he sat down on his own bed.

" How do you do it Chuck, how do you live with what happened last night? Asked Christian, the question was one he'd asked thousands of times before. Charlie looked up from the spot of the floor he was looking at to meet his subordinate's searching gaze.

" How many times have you asked me that? He asked quietly.

" As many times as needed to be asked man. Answered Christian with a small smile. Charlie returned the smile with a sad one of his own.

" I'm okay Chris, thanks for asking. He added quietly before laying down across his bed, staring at the ceiling. The sound of a door opening and closing alerted him that Julio had finally released the bathroom. Charlie smiled as he heard the Latino man groan and collapse onto his bed.

" Hey Hermano, when does the boss make an entrance? He heard a muffled question. " In thirty minutes dude, try to sober up some more before he gets here. Answered Charlie. Sobering up was one of Julio's specialties.

The half hour passed by very quickly, the three of them got dressed in there street clothes and ordered breakfast. They had just gotten a few bites of food down, the door of the room suddenly opened and Derek Steele walked in, grey business suit and all.

"Hope you all had a good night. said Steele, though he could clearly see how wasted both Julio and Cristian looked, Charlie on the other hand, look refreshed and ready for the day.

" It was a good enough night sir. Muttered Julio.

" Well, you guys better pack up, it time to home.Said Steele


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own nothing so don't sue, its all the property of CBS and whatnot.

Chapter 2: The way Home

The three of them had been given half an hour to pack their things after Steele left, being careful not to leave anything behind, all DNA evidence would be taken care of after their departure. All of their weapons had been taken earlier in the night. Charlie tied his hair into a loose ponytail and grabbed his only piece of luggage, a large black duffle bag with his last name stenciled in white across the front, Julio and Christian had identical bags. With a final glance around the room to make sure nothing was left, Charlie walked out the door, Julio and Christian following suit. They quickly used the way they'd used the night before, filing out into the blaring afternoon sun. They made there way across the street to the black van parked on the curb.

" Hey guys. Smiled Toby.

" Hey Cabbie. Smiled Julio as they piled in.

" Hey don't call me that! Piped Toby.

" But you are on Chauffer duty, are you not? Asked an amused Christian as he pulled the door shut, the next stop was the Damascus International Airport.

As the scenery passed them by, Julio and Christian both noticed the faraway look that now filled their leader's eyes. As he stared out the window, Charlie's mind drifted to when he'd gotten the call that in a sense, stopped the world…

_Three months ago: _

_It was the end of another nice day at CalSci, Charlie had finished his last class and was now doing what he always did after work, grading some papers and then working on an equation for his next class. He had just finished jotting down the second line of the equation when his phone rang. _

_" Charlie Epps speaking. He'd answered. _

_" Ghost. Came the single word from the last voice he'd thought he'd here. However, his shock was only momentary. _

_" Commander Steele. He'd answered simply. _

_" Ghost, there's been an incident, Intel has received confirmation of terrorist activity in Damascus, duty calls. Said Steele in a flat but slightly urgent tone. _

_" Have Nighthawk and Mojave been informed? He'd asked. _

_" They are being picked up as we speak. You have an hour to get your things and be ready for pick up at your house. __We've already checked and your old man isn't home. Said Steele. _

_" Understood sir. Charlie had answered. _

_" See you in a few. Said Steele before ending the call. Charlie flipped off his cell-phone and took a steadying breathe, years of training keeping him from going into full blown panic. _

_Charlie set down the piece of chalk in his hand and strode over to the bookshelf cluttered with memorabilia. He reached for a small brass globe sculpture and lifted in up, under the circular base was a wideband titanium ring with two parallel black lines going around its circumference. Charlie quickly picked it up and slid it onto his right ring finger, this was his CIA ID so to speak, with its own laser inscription, his two fellow operatives had identical rings. Charlie then went back to his desk and grabbed a paper and pencil, he scribbled down some well chosen words, not giving away anything save that he had to go somewhere on personal business. He folded the paper and scribbled Larry's name on top of it. He grabbed his bag and headed out the door, he'd glanced at the wall clock by the door and saw that five minutes had already passed. The numbers were flying through his mind as he made his way down the hall to his bike. It would take him ten minutes to pedal his way home, and another twenty to pack his things. _

_The bike ride home was thankfully undisturbed, he rode up the entire length of the driveway and put his bike in the garage. He jogged across the backyard to the house's back door, easily opening it with his key. Like Steele had said, Alan was not home, probably out with friends, or working at the volunteer center. Charlie heaved a sigh of both relief and longing, the last time he'd seen his father was that morning at breakfast. Charlie wasted no time, he bounded up the stairs and went straight to his room. He took off the suite coat and t-shirt he was wearing and instead put on a plain black t-shirt. He then went straight to his closet and pulled out his black duffle bag. He jogged to the bathroom to get his toothbrush, shaving kit, and some essential medication, like aspirin. He tossed them into his bag and then went over to his dresser, pulling out several articles of clothing, about a months worth. He zipped up the bag and then went back to the closet. He kneeled before the wood paneled floor before reaching out and peeling back three of the panels to reveal the hole between floors, he reached in and pulled out a .55 caliber Beretta firearm. He stared at it for a moment, his eyes hardening as he held the weapon in his hand. He then got up and packed the gun into one of the smaller pockets of the duffle bag. He'd learned long ago that one could never be to careful in his line of work. _

_He went back and put the floor panels back into place before closing the closet door, he then picked up his duffle bag and headed downstairs. He glanced at his watch, it would be another half hour before he'd be picked up. He set the duffle bag down on the floor and went over to his mother's wedding picture. He felt a small pang of pain lance through is heart. " I'm sorry Mom. He whispered as he ran his fingers over the framed picture, as he felt the burn of tears behind his eyes. He turned away from his mother's photographed gaze and went back to stand in the foyer, after debating with himself, he pulled out his cell-phone from his back pocket and speed dialed Don's number. He waited for his brother to answer but instead, he got the voice message recorders mechanical voice. Charlie heaved a small sigh before he decided to speak. _

_" Don, hey it's me Charlie, listen, by the time you get this message, I'll be long gone. I know you're gonna be mad at me and I'm sorry. I can't tell you where I'm going. Please tell Dad not to worry, I promise I'll come back, again I'm sorry for doing this to the both of you, I wish there was some other way… I love you Don…Tell Dad I love him too…Charlie pause a moment when he heard the sound of a car pulling up. " I have to go know… bye. He finished._

_Charlie ended the call and then picked up his bag. He walked out of the house that was now his, not knowing if he would actually see it again. The door clicked shut behind him and he made his way down the path to the waiting SUV. _

_Without a word, he pulled the back passenger side door open and climbed into the vehicle. _

_" Charles Edward Epps, Codename: Ghost, I presume? Asked the driver , a young man in his mid twenties, blonde with blue eyes. Charlie looked at him with mild suspicion as the car began to move. _

_" Yes, why do you ask? Adding a question of his own. _

_" Agent Tobias Finch at your service, I'll be the guy responsible for getting you and your fellow CIA dudes to wherever it is you'll be going to. Said Tobias with a cheeky grin. Charlie found himself smiling slightly at the young man's exuberance. _

_" Just call me Toby. Said Tobias. _

_" OK. Said Charlie quietly as he settled for the long ride to wherever it was he was being driven. He could see anything because the windows were totally opaque, then everything began to get fuzzy, he felt his eyes get heavy, and knew what was going on, so he didn't put up a fight to stay awake, and welcomed the darkness…_

Charlie was jolted from his reminisquing when he felt the van pull to a stop.

" We're here you guys. Said Toby quietly.

" Thanks Toby. Said Charlie.

" See ya later. Said Julio.

" Bye beloved Chauffer. Smirked Christian as they watched Toby pull away and dissappear in a swirl of golden dust.

The three men all turned and made their way to the sleek white private jet a few feet away, two federal agents already waiting for them. Charlie nodded to the two of them as he and his fellow operatives, now civilians walked through the threshold into the plane. One of the agents went in after them while the other one pulled the stair/ door up. Twenty minutes later, they were taking off, the land of Damascus slowly growing smaller and smaller. As they entered the heavens, Charlie's mind drifted once more, not to the past but to the present and future, it would be a full day and a half before they reached the American side of the world.

" I'm coming home Don, Dad, just like I promised. He Thought


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own nothing so don't sue, its all the property of CBS and whatnot.

Chapter 3: Airplane Musings

Charlie's POV:

_I know Julio and Christian are staring me, I can't blame these guys, they're worried about me. If only I could tell them that I'm not scared, I terrified. Every time I close my eyes, I see their faces, the men I killed, all of them, just staring at me. But, what else is new, this has been going on every since I was recruited at nineteen. What am I going to do when I see my family again? How do I live with what I have done? With all the lives I have taken? What if they found out? What if they found out that I've been lying to them for so long, even if it was to protect them? _

_It is so hard to live a life like mine, I haven't told a single soul about it save one, Mom, but, I didn't even tell her the whole truth, and now she's gone. If I think about it, I had to tell her, she was the only person who truly had any idea of the burden I carried then, and still carry now. Another secret I keep, I did go to see my mother before she died, exactly three hours before her life ceased, death taking away my one true confidant. _

_How do I live with myself? That's the question I ask myself most often. The truth, I have no idea. It's a paradox of sorts, I kill to save lives, but in return feel like I'm dying instead. When I close my eyes, I not only see the faces of those I have killed, but also of those I protect by doing so. My father, Larry, Amita, Megan, David, Colby, my students and Don. Don, oh Don, what would you do if you ever found out I was a killer, cause that's what I am, a killer, a murderer, with the blood of countless men on my hands, husbands, sons, uncles, brothers… _

_How do I live with myself? I haven't figured that out yet.ButI know I'll have plenty of time to think about it. My new Pvs NP..._


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own nothing save the OC'sso don't sue, its all the property of CBS and whatnot.

Chapter 4: A Parting of Ways

Charlie heaved a small sigh as he rubbed his eyes wearily, he had temporarily banished his self tormenting thought to the deepest recessing of his mind. A loud snore to his right made him realize that Julio was still out like a light. Christian was sitting in a seat near the back of the plane, listening to his ipod. The two government agents escorting them back to the States were lounging in chairs near the cockpit, talking quietly amongst themselves when one of them got up to have a word with the Pilot. Charlie heaved a sigh, the plan was simple, they'd stop in New York first, Christian would be getting off at Kennedy International airport, then they'd stop and Arizona, Julio was getting off at Phoenix Sky Harbor International, and finally himself, he'd be getting off at the LAX international airport. The agent came back and walked past Charlie to Julio, still off in dreamland, head falling back against the side of his chair, mouth hanging open. The agent reached out to shake the sleeping man's shoulder when Julio sprang awake suddenly and gripped the other man's wrist.

" Don't really need a wake up call hermano, but thanks for the gesture. The Latino smirked as he let go if the agent's wrist.

" No problem. Said the Agent with a small smirk of his own before he went back to his seat.

Julio turned his gaze to Charlie and gave his leader a dazzling smile, which Charlie returned, if only half heartedly.

" We'll be reaching your stop in twenty minutes. Called Pilot.

" It'll be great to be home after three freakin long months man. Said Julio as he stretched leisurely. Banishing the last tendrils of sleep, he then brought his attention back to Charlie.

" Hey Chuck, what are you gonna do when you get home? He asked quietly as he got up and walked over to the man he was addressing, leaning against the leather seat as he waited for an answer.

" I'll know once I get there but, to be honest, I don't. Sighed Charlie, noticing that Christian had silently joined them. Julio and Christian stared intently at their leader before the pilots voice rang through the air.

" I suggest you guys take a seats and buckle up, were landing. Came the mechanized voice. Julio and Christian complied with the announcement and went back to their seats, Christian feeling a thrill of joy when he saw his beloved New York smiling up at him.

The small aircraft slowly descended from the heavens, making a smooth landing on the runway. Slowly, the plane eased to a stop, Charlie could already see the familiar black SUV making it way towards them. The three men unbuckled their seatbelts and met at the center of the plane to bid Christian farewell. Julio gave Christian a big bear hug and a playful punch to the gut. Charlie hugged him as well, before Christian pulled away, he whispered in Charlie's ear.

" How do you do it Charlie, how do you deal with what we do? He asked. Charlie felt a small burn behind his eyes and a sad smile grace his face before he whispered back.

" How many times are you going to ask me that question?

" I'll ask as many times as needed to be asked. Answered Christian as they pulled away and headed for the door, he paused a moment and turned around to smile at them.

" Take care of yourselves. He said before disappearing into the sunlight. Charlie and Julio lingered in their staring a moment before heading back to their seats, they'd have to wait for the plane to refuel and make sure everything was okay.

Half an hour later, they were taking off once more, this time heading for Phoenix, Arizona, home of Mojave. When they were safely in the air, Charlie and Julio set about passing time, they had a time to spare. Julio shuffled the deck of playing cards and dealt out the hands. Maybe toady would be his lucky day and finally, at long last he could beat Charlie at a hand of cards.

" I am gonna beat you man. Grinned Julio.

" You can try heramano, you can try. Smirked Charlie as he looked the hand dealt to him. An hour later, Julio looked to be on the verge of tears as Charlie showed the winning hand for the seventh time in a row.

" My friend, I will beat you one of these days. Drawled Julio as he slammed his losing hand onto the table.

" When hell freezes over my friend, I am a master of probability. Smirked Charlie as he watched his friends defeated demeanor.

" Cheer up, there still hope. Said Charlie, a hint of mocking in his amused tone. Julio glared at him, and Charlie stared back, the next second the two of them burst into a fit of chuckles.

" Gentlemen fasten your seat belt we've reached Mr. Vargas's drop off point. Said One of the Agents quietly.

Charlie heaved a small sigh as he returned to his seat and Julio to his. The plane lazily descended from the heavens once more, the red Arizona landscape presented itself to them, much to a very ecstatic Julio Vargas, thrill to see the red desert sand of his home once more. The plane landed smoothly and the bell went off for them to take off their seatbelts. Now came the part Julio had always dreaded the most whenever they'd be returning from a mission, having to leave his leader with a lonely ride home. Vargas picked up his duffle bag and headed towards Charlie, who met him halfway and pulled him into a brotherly embrace.

" Take care of yourself Ghost, may Saint Maria watch over you always. Whispered Julio, feeling Charlie give a weal chuckle.

" Dude, I'm Jewish remember? Said Charlie as they pulled away.

" Don't matter what you are man, I'll pray for you non the less. Said Julio, his voice taking on a slightly gruff edge.

" Take care of yourself. Said Charlie as Julio walked towards the door.

" You do the same. Said Julio before the late afternoon sun swallowed him up.

Charlie let his gaze linger on the door a moment before returning to his seat, it would be twenty minutes before they would take off for California. In his seat, Charlie began scribbling equations onto a notepad head fished out of his duffle, trying to occupy his mind with what he knew best, math. But deep down, his terror at finally getting home and facing those he loved was grumbling hungrily and steadily. And then his silent dread grew as the plane entered the heavens once more, heading for LAX and an unknown a reunion that was both longed for and loathed at the same time.

" I better call Bob. Thought Charlie. He pulled out his cell and dialed a number.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own nothing save the OC's so don't sue, its all the property of CBS and whatnot.

Chapter 5: Countdown

By the time the private plane had reached California airspace, evening had begun to settle. How ironic thought Charlie. While his two companions had been swallowed up by the welcoming light of the sun, he was left to be greeted by the darkness of night. Charlie heaved a small sigh as he looked out the window at the city of Los Angeles, his city, his home, one he'd been away from for far too long. He wouldn't have to worry about his other job at CalSci, three months earlier, a letter had been sent to the administration, informing them that Charlie had been called away on a " project" and would be absent for a few months.

" What am I gonna do? Was the question repeating itself nonstop through is mind as the plane slowly made its way down from a now dark heaven, smoothly touching down on the runway.

The plane lazily came to a stop near the airport building. Charlie heaved a small sigh as he unbuckled his seat belt and picked up his duffle bag, there was no one left to hug goodbye and in absolute silence, he walked out of the plane, the darkness the arms welcoming him back home.

Unlike Julio and Christian, Charlie had wasn't going home immediately, the reunion with his family and friends would have to wait till morning, by then his father would've received the letter from Bob that basically ordered them not to ask him anything. Charlie would be spending his first night back in the states in a hotel room Steele had booked for him. Charlie climbed into the black SUV waiting for him, the car pulled away from the private jet and headed for the LA street. The drive was thankfully undisturbed, Charlie was glad that they'd be too far away from the FBI building, if they'd passed by that place, he would've jumped out of the car while it was still moving to get to his brother, it was 8:00 PM, Don would definitely be there, probably working on a case. After ten more minutes, they were pulling up to the hotel, a. eleven floor building, his room was on the tenth floor. Charlie got out of the vehicle, the two agents weren't going to go up with him, they knew Charlie wouldn't like that and the man deserved some privacy. Charlie walked through the hotel lobby and walked up to the check in desk where a blonde clerk greeted him.

" Good evening sir, welcome to the Wilcot Hotel, how may I help you? She asked.

" Hi, my name is Langdon Fischer, I have a room booked for one night. Said Charlie, the alias was for security measures.

The clerk nodded and typed up something on her computer before getting up and heading over to the key rack. She picked up the set with the number 1024 engraved on the keychain. She handed the keys over to Charlie.

" We hope you have a pleasant stay here sir. She said with a smile.

" Thank you. Said Charlie as he gave the woman a sad smile of his own. He got into the elevator and leaned heavily against the wall, feeling the exhaustion he'd kept at bay for two months slowly triumphing over him. Charlie stared at the increasing number of floors, 6, 7, 8, 9, and finally coming to a stop at ten. The door slid open and he got out and made a right where room 1020 to 1028 were. He watched the number on the door steadily increase as he passed by until finally coming to stop at room 1024. He opened the door with the key and stepped across the threshold. He dragged himself to the single queens sized bed and let his duffle bag slid off his shoulder. With a low groan, he collapsed face first onto the bed and just lay there for the better part of five minutes before the shrill sound of his cell-phone snapped him out of his exhaustion, if only momentarily.

" Hello? He grumbled.

" Nice to see you made it back to the states in one piece. Came an amused voice on the other end.

" Hi Bob, did you get my request? Asked Charlie.

" Signed and sealed, it'll be delivered first thing in the morning. Answered Bib Thompkins.

" Thanks man. Said Charlie quietly.

" Don't mention it, it's good to have our top consultant back from his other job. Said Bob.

" Good to be back. Thanks again. Said Charlie.

" See you. Said Bob.

" Bye. Said Charlie as he ended the call.

Charlie set his cell-phone down on the nightstand and then got up, a shower was in order. Charlie toed off his shoes and socks, unbuttoning the black dress shirt as he went. He shrugged off the shirt revealing the body he truly had, gracing the back of his neck was a tattoo of the Japanese character for " Ghost ", solid black with a bright-red outline. On the right side of his lower back were five lines of a Buddhist prayer. A few scars also graced pale, toned flesh. Over his right hip was a thin line scar, a bullet graze from a job in Russia, just below his navel was a horizontal scar from the time when another man tried to disembowel him when he got into a sword fight with an enemy agent in Japan. Over his left shoulder was a jagged scar from when a piece of shrapnel had caught him when a car bomb went off in Istanbul. On the inside of his left arm were four neatly spaced scars, these were self inflicted, a daily reminder of his more unstable times, back when he was a tortured young prodigy going to the same high School as Don, a part of him had wanted so badly for the pain to go away forever, he'd kept them a secret from everyone, including his mother. Everything got better though when he graduated from high school and went off to college.

Charlie stripped off the rest of his clothing, pulling his hair free of the ponytail and pulling off the platinum ring on his right hand and carefully placing it on the sink. He stepped into the shower and turned on the water. He let out a low groan as the steaming hot water cascaded down onto his aching body. As the water warmed his body and relaxed his fried nerves, Charlie felt the emotions he'd pushed down slowly beginning to fight their way to the surface. The floodgates opened and everything came all together all at once. Charlie slammed his back against the shower wall, sliding down the wet tiles till he was sitting on the shower floor, violent sobs racking through his whole body as he let the anguish finally take complete control of him, his heart shattering into a billion pieces.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own nothing save the OC's so don't sue, its all the property of CBS and whatnot.

Chapter 6: Coming Home

The sun slowly smiled over the city of Los Angeles as night gave way to morning. Charlie's eyes fluttered open as the light from the window shone into the room, hitting his square in the face. Charlie groaned loudly as he stretched out in bed, feeling a few vertebrae cracking. Charlie checked the time on the bedside alarm clock, it was 8:30 AM. Charlie heaved a sigh as he got up headed for the bathroom to take care of business. A few minutes later he was in the shower, enjoying another hot shower. Ten minutes later he stepped put and wrapped a fluffy white towel around his waist. He wiped off the mist from the mirror and stared at himself. His few days worth of stubble had turned into a beard. A trim was in order, he actually liked the look. He got his having kit from his duffle and pulled out the electric shaver and trimmer, setting to work on his facial hair. A few minutes later he walked out of the bathroom with a neatly trimmed mustache and connecting beard. He set to work getting dressed, when he was done he'd call the SUV that had dropped him off to pick him up and take him home. As he dressed, Charlie felt the feeling of fear slowly coming back.

Meanwhile, in a quiet suburb of Pasadena, Alan Epps was making breakfast while Larry and Amita set about making the table. The last three months had been a trying time for the Eldest Epps, not knowing where his baby boy was, or whether he was still alive of not, he would always be expecting his Charlie to be home when ever he got back from his book club or from the volunteer center. There were so many unanswered questions and no one to answer them. Larry and Amita had become more than just friends, they were part of the family now. Larry heaved a sigh, everything at CalSci had managed to move along, he, Amita, and a score of other teachers filling in for Charlie, but the students missed there beloved teacher, and the faculty missed there gifted colleague. One time, Larry had walked into Charlie's office to find Amita sitting at Charlie's desk, simply staring into space with a sad look in her eyes. They all missed Charlie, but Don probably missed him the most, in three months, the FBI agent seemed to have aged three decades instead, like any older sibling, not protecting Charlie from what ever it was that made his vanish off the face of the earth for three whole months.

Larry and Amita finished setting the table and help Alan with the plates of food. The three of them had just sat down, ready to enjoy some of Alan's fine cooking when there was a loud knock on the door.

" I'll get it". Said Amita as she got up and went to answer the door. When she opened it, she was greeted by a young man in a dark grey suit, with Blonde hair and blue eyes.

" Good morning ma'am, is there an Alan Epps here?". He asked.

" Yes, I'll tell him you're here". Said Amita as she turned to get Alan.

" That won't be necessary, I just came to deliver a letter to him, could you give him this?" Asked the Man as he held out the white envelope. Amita eyed him with suspicion as she accepted the letter.

" I will, thank you…" she trailed off.

" Finch, Tobias Finch". Said Toby before he turned and headed back to his SUV. Amita's gaze lingered on him a moment before she closed the door and headed back to the dinning room.

" Who was that?". Asked Alan.

" Some guy named Tobias Finch, he said to give you this Mr. Epps." Said Amita as she handed him the envelope.

" Hmm, wonder what this is about?" Said Alan as he ripped open the envelope and pulled out the letter inside. He silently read its contents.

Larry and Amita both watched as the older man's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates, his face paling, and his entire body language turning to one of severe shock, like he'd seen a ghost.

" Alan, what is it, what's wrong?" Asked Larry.

The question went ignored as Alan suddenly bolted from his seat and surprisingly, dashed into the living room, looking for the cordless phone.

" What was that all about?" Asked Amita while Larry picked up the letter and read it himself. Amita watched as the same shell-shocked expression crept onto his face.

" Larry what?…" She trailed off as she read the letter for herself….

_Dear Epps Family,_

_This letter has been issued in regards to your son, Charles E. Epps. He is alive and well, for the past three months he's been helping us with a highly sensitive project. By the time this letter reaches you, Charlie will have already set foot on American soil, and will be on his way home as you read this letter. Please be advised not to ask him any questions on the nature of his absence for there will be dire consequences if any information is released. Again, we apologize for the long absence and I personally give you my deepest thanks for your understanding._

_Sincerely,_

_Robert Thopmkins, NSA_

Amita looked up from the letter in her hands and stared at Larry in utter shock. Meanwhile, in the living room Alan had dialed Don's cell number and was anxiously waiting for his eldest son to pick up. Then after what seemed to be an eternity he heard his son's voice answered.

" Epps". Came Don's voice.

" Donnie it's me, you gotta get here as fast as you can son, its Charlie. I just got a letter from the NSA saying he's coming home!" Exclaimed Alan.

He was met with stunned silence. At the FBI building, Agent Don Epps sat at his desk feeling like he been sucker punched in the gut. It took him a second to get his voice back.

" Stay where you are dad, I'm coming over." He said before flipping his phone shut and sprung into action. He grabbed his suite jacket and bolted for the elevator.

" Don!" Yelled Megan as she, Colby, and, David barely caught up to him.

" What's going on?" Asked Megan as she noted the tension in Don's body language.

" It's my Dad he just called saying that he got a letter from the NSA saying that Charlie's coming home." Said Don as he got into the elevator, his team following him.

" Do you believe him?" Asked Colby.

" I'll believe it when I see it." Said Don as they rode the elevator down to the lobby, strode out of the building, and piling into Don's SUV

Meanwhile, at the hotel room, Charlie had finished getting dressed. His outfit consisted of a black t-shirt with a red flame emblazoned over the chest. Over this he wore a dark red dress shirt with the buttons open, a pair of grey cargo pants and black sneakers. His hair hung in its usual unruly curls, and around his neck was a silver chain with his CIA ring dangling from it, putting up the facade of being a regular piece of jewelry. With one final look in the mirror on the wall, Charlie pulled out his cell. He speed dialed a number and waited for someone to answer.

" Agent Gold." Came an answer.

" Pick up". Was all Charlie said.

" Understood sir, we'll be there in five minutes." Said Gold before ending the call. Charlie closed his cell and picked up his duffle bag, he'd gone to the courtesy of remaking the bed.

With a final look around, Charlie picked up his room keys and headed out the door. The ride down was thankfully uneventful, when the doors slid open, he made his way to the front desk, the same clerk from the previous night was behind the desk.

" Good morning sir, checking out?" She asked with a megawatt smile.

" Yes." Was all Charlie said, the smile he managed to muster up as he handed over the room keys was a joke compared to the hers.

With a final nod, he turned and headed for the doors, his ride already pulling up.

Don's black SUV roared through the LA street, while barely maintaining the legal speed limit, the powerful vehicle quickly weaved its way through morning traffic and entered the quiet suburbs. In no time at all, Don was pulling his vehicle into the driveway of his Childhood home and shot out of the car, his team behind him. Alan, Larry, and Amita all looked up when Don came bursting through the door, going straight to his father.

" Where's the letter?" He asked, more like yelled. Alan strode over to his son and handed him the letter.

Don read the letter and felt his heart stop for an entire second before numbly handing it over to Megan. He and his father stared at each other while Megan, David, and Colby read the letter. Then all hell broke loose as everyone started talking all at once. It was like the New York stock market had moved into the living room. They were so engrossed in trying to out yell each other, they didn't hear the sound of another SUV pulling up, this time in front of the house.

Charlie felt a jolt when he saw his childhood home, now his house, and the black SUV parked in the driveway. He swallowed with some difficulty before he spoke.

" Thanks for the ride" He said to Agents Gold and Harris.

" Anytime sir". said Gold, while Harris nodded silently.

Charlie opened the back passenger side door and got out, he pushed the car door shut and watched the car drive away. He then steeled his nerves and began walking up the stairs to the front door. As he neared he could here the muffled bedlam and discern each voice. His Father, Larry, Megan, Amita, David, Colby, and finally Don. To his silent relief, the door had been left open, Charlie gently pushed the door open a little more and stepped across the threshold of his house. His presence was had gone undetected my the crowd of people in the living room. With a small smirk, he decided to let them carry on in their inane babbling. Charlie gracefully made his way across the foyer and the dinning room and into the kitchen. He was hungry.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own nothing save the OC's so don't sue, its all the property of CBS and whatnot.

Chapter 7: Better Believe It

Charlie gently laid down his duffle back onto the floor by the

kitchen counter, the riot was still going strong in the living room. The crowd of people had broken off into smaller groups. Amita and Megan were arguing in one corner, while David, Larry, and Colby were yelling at each other in another, in the center of the room were Alan and Don, trying to out yell each other over the din. In the kitchen, Charlie set about rummaging through the fridge for the fixings of a bagel and smear. With an expert hand, Charlie cut the bagel into two perfect halves and placed them in to toaster, while he sipped some coffee from the coffee maker, he heard Don's voice rise over everyone else's.

" EVERYBODY FREEZE!". Yelled Don, the room went silent and all eyes fell on the FBI Agent.

Don took a moment to calm himself before he spoke.

" Who delivered the letter?" He asked.

" Some guy named Tobias Finch." Said Amita.

" What did he look like?" Asked Don.

" He was blonde, blue eyes, to think of it, he looked like you guys." Answered Amita as she gestured towards the FBI agents in the room.

Don was about to say something when a small chime was heard behind him, the toaster in the kitchen.

" Don what… Megan trailed off as Don strode past her towards the dinning room, pulling out his gun and disappearing behind the wall. Then they heard his voice ring out.

" FBI don't…. Don's voice died in his throat as he felt his heart stop cold. Megan, David, and Colby came running.

" Don what… Megan's voice trailed off when her gaze fell on the kitchen, she too felt herself go numb, beside her, David and Colby both looked dumbstruck. Alan, Larry, and Amita also joined the crowd now forming at the threshold of the kitchen. Don thought his eyes were playing tricks on him because sitting there at the kitchen counter was his baby brother, who had been MIA for the past three months, calmly applying a liberal amount of cream cheese onto a toasted bagel. His face was somewhat obscured by a mass of unruly curls. Don felt his heart spring back to life when Charlie looked up and stared back at him with those near black eyes, bright and full of light.

" Is it a crime to eat some breakfast in my own house big brother?" Asked Charlie managing to keep the anxiety out of his voice as he stared back at his shell shocked brother.

Don continued to stare at his brother but his body seemed to have a mind of its own. Charlie made his way around the counter slowly and met his brother halfway. The two brothers stood face to face, simply staring at each other, well, Don more like gawking at Charlie.

" Ch-Charlie?" Whispered Don, still not believing his eyes. Charlie slowly reached out to Don, his right hand coming to rest over the older Epps brother's heart.

" Don." He said in a slightly gruff voice.

Charlie felt all the air rush out of his lungs as Don all but tackled him into a vice like hug. Charlie wrapped his arms around his brother's middle, hoping he would never have to let go. The six other people in the house snapped out of there collective trance and rushed into the kitchen, surrounding the two brothers. In that moment, Charlie could've cared less of the burden on his soul, in that moment, it didn't matter that he secretly had the blood of many men on his hands, in that moment, all that mattered was that he was finally home, and surrounded by those he'd left behind and come back to in one piece. He was home.

But what would happen the next time he'd have to answer the Call Of Duty?


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own nothing save the OC's so don't sue, its all the property of CBS and whatnot.

Chapter 8: A Storm This Way Comes

It had been two months since Charlie had materialized in the kitchen that morning and still, everyone barely left him alone. Whenever he went to consult for the FBI, Don would watch him like a hawk, and when his brother wasn't watching his every move, either Megan, Colby, or David would do it instead. It was an endearing thing, but a little annoying at the same time. It was no better at CalSci, Larry, Amita, and a few other teachers always dropping by to see him. Life was slowly returning to normal, but in the back of his mind, Charlie always felt on edge about the next time his cell would go off and he'd hear the voice of his Commander once again, telling him of another dire situation in which he and his two fellow operatives would be needed. But for now, it was a nice reprieve to just going back to his day job as a teacher. He now sat at his desk grading tests. When he was done, he got up and headed over to one of the many chalkboards in the room, putting on his headphones and picking up a piece of chalk.

A sigh escaped him as he began scribbling numbers while music filled his ears. He thought for the billionth about what would happen if those he loved would ever find out the truth that was his. Little did he know, a few fragments of this truth thought to be buried would reach the surface when an enemy from the past would unexpectedly pop up in the worst way…

Don Epps heaved a sigh as he and his team sat in the conference room. The case they were currently working on was a particularly gruesome one. Five people had been killed by this sick bastard, who'd, as a final insult carved a crescent into there necks. But only after having to endure God knows how many hours of exruciating torture. They had hit the proverbial brick wall, all of their leads taking them nor where. They were so wrapped up in their drepessed thoughts, they didn't notice a certain young curly haired math genius standing in the doorway.

" Don?" Came a quiet voice.

Don looked up from the file he was blankly staring at to see his baby brother standing in the entrance.

" Hey Charlie. Smiled Megan, always delighted to see the younger Epps.

" Hey." Said Charlie with a small smile of his own.

David and Colby both gave him a " Hey Charlie".

Don got up from his seat and met his brother where he stood.

" Hey buddy, what're you doin here?" He asked.

" Oh, I thought I'd drop by and see how you guys were." Answered Charlie as his gaze turned to the photos on the wall.

" What is that about?" Asked Charlie as he hid a small wince when he saw the bloody gore captured on fils.

Don heaved a sigh before he spoke.

" Look Charlie, I'm not going to lie to you, it's pretty bad, we have a serial killer on our hands." Charlie looked at Don in alarm.

" I didn't want to tell you..." Don trailed off when Charlie nodded his head silently in understanding. He then made his way over to the photos for a better look. As he gazed at one of the victims, he stopped cold when he noticed something. Megan's eyebrows knitted in confusion when she saw Charlie go rigid. The next sentence that came out of Charlie's mouth would make four hearts stop at once.

" I know who did this. Said Charlie in a voice devoid of emotion. There were several moments of stunned silence before Don spoke.

" Wait, what, Charlie what did you mean you know?". Asked Don

" The person you are looking for is Koyuki Jenshio, and she isn't just another serial killer, she is a trained assassin. And that mark on the victim's neck, the crescent, that is her calling card." Said Charlie as he turned to face them.

" Charlie, how the hell do you know this?" Asked Don as he stalked forward, the rest of the team following. Charlie averted his gaze back to the photos before he spoke.

" I saw her kill." He said quietly, leaving them all speechless.

Then with a sigh, Charlie managed to push past them and walk out of the room. However, he didn't get far,he'd barely taken a few steps before a hand wrapped itself tightly around his wrist.

Don yanked Charlie with him as he walked down the hall to somewhere moreprivate. Megan, Colby, and, David surround them as they walked. Don found an empty room andshovedCharlie into it, the FBI agents filed in and Colby closed and locked the door.

The second he heard the click of the lock, Don blew his top.

" WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN BY " YOU SAW HER KILL"?" He Screamed.

Megan, Colby, and David all winced, whenever Don Epps lost it, the world shook. Charlie however was surprisingly unphased by his brother's outburst.

" What I mean is,I saw her butchera man in Tokyo, and I... Charlie trailed offand stared at stared at the FBI agents.

He then gently pulled back some of his unruly curls to reveal a smalljagged, crescent shaped scare that just reached his hair line. he took a steady breath before he finished

" I was the only one she every showed mercy to."

" Oh my God. Whispered Megan as she brought a hand to her mouth, Colby and David would have to pick their jobs off the floor.

Don was beyond shell-shocked.

" I'm sorry Don... I have to go." Said Charlie as he made to leave.

He only got astep past Don before a hand wrapped itself around his wrist in a vice like grip. Charlie felt himself being wrenched around to face his brother. When he came face to face with Don.

Don'sgaze was a mixture of several emotions ranging from disbelief, shock, fear, and above all anger.

" You aren't going anywhere." He growled.

Then,the anger vanished. Then in anunexpected move, Don reached out and gently took Charlie's face into his hands.The two brothers stood that way before Don pulled Charlie into a fierce hug. Charlie wrapped his arms around his brother a worried look on his face.

_" This was too easy._ Smirked Charlie mentally.

The truth was, Ghost wasn't worried about himself at all. He had decieved them once again. The truth was, it was not he, Ghost,who'd recieved mercy from a killer. The truth was, he had granted Koyuki Jenshio by showing her the mercy of sparing her life. He had given her the opportunity to walk away from the reality they lived. It was obvious that she had let that opportunity escape. Now, he would have to finshed what she started. Now, he would have to punish her for her incredible stupidity.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own nothing save the OC's so don't sue, its all the property of CBS and whatnot.

Chapter 9: Eager Anticipation on Charlie's Part, Anxiety For Everybody Else

The tension was so palpable, one could almost see it rolling off of Don Epps as he sat in the driver's seat of his SUV, Charlie sitting in the passenger seat. After the events that had unfolded back at the FBI Offices, Don and the team were thoroughly scrambled. Charlie was in danger, that was the only thought going through Don's mind as he drove to the quite suburbs of Passadena. Charlie was stealing small glances at his brother, all the hile doing some planning of his own.A part of him felt like dirt for having to decieve Don and his team, but, it was to keep _them_ safe from Jenshio. True, the woman was a trained assassin, but she had been discharged from service afterhe had let her live, dishonored in accepting defeat. That was reason enough for her to go on a killing spree. Hopefully, Jenshio would take the bait to the trap he was setting. Koyuki didn't know Charlie Epps, she only knew the masked warrior "Ghost". By all appearances, he was a perfect ringer for her choice of victim, young,attractive, and above all,a picture of innocence.

Don pulled into the driveway of his childhood home and in silence, the two of them got out and walked into the house. Alan Epps wasn't home, both a blessing and a curse on Don's part. Don wearily dragged himself into the livingroom and collapsing onto the sofa. He draped an arm over his eyes and sighed heavily. Charlie stared at his brother for a moment before he spoke.

" You want a beer?"

" Do you even have to ask?" Drawled Don without lifting his arm from his eyes.

Charlie's lips turned upwards in a small, sad smile as he headed to the kitchen. He returned moments later with a cold beer and handed it to Don, before taking the seat next to him. The two sat in silence, Don taking small sips of his beer, Charlie staring out the livingroom window. Don's eyes however, inevitably came to rest on the young man sitting next to him. He set his beer down and silently reached out to Charlie, his hand going to the mass of curls that hid the smallcrescent shaped scar. Charlie stared at his hands in his lap as he felt Don's fingers pull back his hair and his thumb glid gently over the jagged mark.

" Tell me how it happened." Came Don's inevitable question.

_" I better come up with somthing he'll fall for." _Thought Charlie as he took a " steadying" breath before he spun another tale to mask the truth. "

I was doing a consulting job in Tokyo for this software company, I had just finished a presentation, I headed back to the hotel I was staying at, whenI got to my floor,I heard someone scream, and me being the bighearted idiot, ran to see who was hurt. When I reached the room, the door was open, and I saw... I saw her, standing over this deadguy. She'd, come just short of chopping him into pieces. She just stood there covered in blood, staring at him before she looked up and saw me, she stared at me and then... She smiled. Don she smiled at me. I turned and ran away as fast as I could, I got to my room and locked the door, even put a chair under the doorknob. But, I forgot about the window. When I turned around, there she was,I found myself with a samurai sword an inch from my jugular, then everything went black and when I woke up, all I could feel was this unbearable burning on the side of my neck I...Charlie trailed off and turned his gaze to Don.

To his secret relief, the look on Don's face said it all, his older brother had fallen for this bogus tale hook, line, and sinker. It was another moment before Don found his voice.

" How did you get her name?" He asked.

" I have a few friends in the NSA who have friends in theCIA.I described her to one of them and her name popped up in the CIAdata base, if you want, I could ask them to send you apicture." Said Charlie quietly before he turned his gaze back to his lap.

Instead of saying anything, Don roughly yanked Charlie into another vice-like hug. Charlie returned the hug and felt a small burn behind his eyes, not because he was afraid, but because of guilt. _" I'm so sorry Don, but lying to you is the only wayI can protect you and everyone else. If only you knew that I am the only person who can strike terror in Koyuki Jenshio on this entire planet. I'm the only one who can stop her, and I will"._ Thought Charlie burried his face into Don's shoulder, trying to hold onto the only warmth in his cold reality.

When Alan Epps had come home, hell had nearly broken loose when Don informed him of the situation concerning Jenshio and Charlie's connection to her. Don had sent Charlie upstairs while he tackled the issue with their father. Charlie was now in the solitude of the upstairs bathroom, a cellphone to his ear, waiting for a certain Commander to pick up.

" Steele." Came ananswer.

"Steele, it's me Ghost, I have a bit of a situation here in Pasadena". Said Charlie.

" Explain." Said Steele.

" Sir, it's Koyuki Jenshio, she's here in the states, and she'd up to her old habits. Said Charlie.

"How many?" Asked Steele.

" Five." Answered Charlie.

" You have permission to terminate her Ghost, and if the Feds give you any trouble, leave it to me. Under no circumstances will they find out you are an operative of the CIA." Said Steele before he sighed.

" Why the hell did you let her go the first time?" He asked.

" Thought I'd scared her straight, for her kid's sake." Sighed Charlie.

" Before you ask, no, the kid isn't mine." He added.

" Where is the child now?" Asked Steele.

" She was safe in Japan the last time I checked but I'll be sure to ask Jenshio if she brought her daughter with her to the states. Said Charlie flatly.

" I would wish you luck, but you never needed any to begin with. Keep yourself alive Ghost, the CIA would want to loose its best operative. Said Steele before the call ended.

" I have alot of work to do. Thought Charlie as he got out of the bathroom, a plan already forming in his head to counteract whatever obstacles Don would inadvertantly set in hispathof givingKoyuki Jeshio her absolution.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 10: Musings of a Killer and A

_That last kill was a big waste of my time I will tell you that. Still, if a I keep this up, i might be able to catch the attention of the "Ghost". Why, why did he have to dishonor me by letting me live? Why couldn't he have given me the proper death, the honorable death? No matter, I will find him, or he will find me, and we will see who the better warrior is. His head will be mine,I don't fear him, really, I don't. As for now, I just found my next toy to have fun with before i break him. Pity, he is actually quite adorable, big brown eyes, a mass of the curliest hair I've every seen, an easy grin about him, and innocence, undimmed by the harsh reality of the world. I can see him sitting on the sofa next to his brother, the FBI agent, which is of little concern to me, in the livingroom, he looks so sad, I wonder why? I guess I'll just have to ask him tonight. These fools think that a fewofbulletscould stop me. Idiots. _

Alan Epps was beyond worried, he was near hysterical, and no amount of reassurance from his eldest son was going to ease that. There was a sick pychopath woman out their, andthere was achance that his baby boy was her next target. Meanwhile, upstairs in his room, Charlie sat on his bed, going through different combat scenarios in his head for when Jenshio would most definately pop in for a visit. He wasn't worried about the availability of weapons to defend himself, they were all hidden throughout the house. Guns,knives, a few flash granades, even two of his best samurai swords. Charlie Epps wasn't the onlyone hiding secrets, within the very walls of his house were weapons with their purposes of ending life either painlessly or painfully. Now was the part he never liked, having to wait.

Charlie was shaken out of his thoughts when he heard the sound of someone climbing up the stairs and walking towards his room. Alan. Charlie returned his gaze to the floor as he heard the doorknob turn and the doorsqueak open.

" Hey Dad." He said without looking up.

" Hey son." Said a weary Alan Epps as he stepped into the room and took a seat next to his son on the bed.

The two of them sat in silence for a long while before Alan spoke.

" Don's got himself,David and Colby keeping guard tonight." Charlie turned his gaze to his father.

" How're you holding up?" He asked. Alan looked at his son strangely for a moment before he spoke.

"I just found out a few minutes ago that my youngest son was a possible target of a psychopath killer, other than that I'm just swell. He said with sarcasm.

This earned a dry chuckle from Charlie. Then in an unexpected move, Charlie felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around him tightly in a hug.

" Dad." Whispered Charlie as he returned the embrace, feeling the plder man take a shaky breathe.

" I just got you back Charlie... I just got you back." Whispered Alanas he stroked his son's curly mess of hair.

" I'm not going anywhere." Whispered Charlie, hoping he'd hold true to those words.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue. The same goes for all the references to Kill Bill. A Bloody Brilliant Pair Of Movies.

Chapter 11: Assassin VS Operative

Don Eppes heaved a sigh from where he sat in the livingroom, his eyes falling on the formof Charlie sitting at the dinningroom table, calmly scribbling away at some unknown equation, with the watchful green eyes of Colby Granger lounging in the corner of the room, and David Sinclair reading a book in another chair at the table. Alan Eppes was in the kitchen making coffee for everyone, Charlie had already put a bag in so all he had to do was turn it on. Though the men seemed somewhat relaxed, in truth, one was scared to death, three were on high alert, and one was calmly going over several combat situations and replaying where he'd kept all weapons of defense.

" Coffee's ready" Called Alan from the kitchen.

Don, Colby, and David got up while Charlie remained totally " Oblivious". the truth was, he'd heard his father just fine, he just didn't want a mug of _that_ particular batch of coffee. It was laced with a harmless sedative which was still powerful enough to knock out a horse or two.

" Sorry you guys but, your all gonna have to sleep this one out." Thought Charlie with a small smirk.

A few minutes later, the four men emptied out of the kitchen, each with a steaming mug in hand, with the exception of Alan, he had two, one of which he set down beside the notepad Charlie was still scribling on.

" Thanks" Said Charlie absently without looking up, though secretly, he stole quick glances around at all the individuals.

To his silent relief, he watched as one by one, they all drank from their mugs. He went back to writing on the notepad while he waited. From where he sat, Don continued to stare at his brother, all the while finishing his mug of coffee, in the back of his mind wondering why it tasted slightly off, but he shrugged it off as a new blend. What struck him as odd was the fact that Charlie hadn't taken a single sip of his joe.He was about to ask why when he felt his vision go blurry for a moment as everything began to get fuzzy. Somwhere in the foggy distance, he heard the sound of something shattering on the floor. On unstable feet, Don got up and made his way to the dinningroom. With his dimming senses, he could just make out the unconscious forms of his father, Colby, and David. He couldn't see Charlie, where was Charlie?

" Charlie?" Slurred Don as he felt his knees buckle underneath him, as he fell, he expected to feel the hardwood floor and the pain that the impact would bring with it, instead, he felt a pair of warm, familair, and surprisingly strong arms gently ease him to the floor. Through his dimming vision, Don could just make out a pair of sad, almost black eyes staring down at him, and before he lost the battle to stay awake, a single voice echoed through his mind, Charlie.

" It's gonna be okay Don."

Charlie heaved a small sigh as he felt the tension leave the body he cradled in his arms. He turned his gaze to the others, Alan was out cold in the chair he'd been sitting in, David and Colby were both slumped over the dinningroom table.

" Here comes the fun part." Thought Charlie as he set to work.

According to his watch, he had two hours before midnight, that was when Koyuki loved to strike, always. With strength that nobody knew he had, he easily hoisted Don over his shoulders and at a medium pace, he climbed the stairs to the second floor. He reached the door to Don's old room and managed to get into the room. He uncerimoniously dumped his unconscious big brother onto the bed, the elder Eppes lying eaglespread, still in la la land. Charlie headed back downstairs and showed the same feat of strength with his father, he gently slid the oldest Eppes onto his bed. This left the two other FBI agents still downstairs, no problem. Within minutes, both David and Colby were lying in a heap on the bed inthe guest bedroom.

Charlie huffed a small breath before he pulled out a small key from his back pocket, one of three for each of the rooms he'd just visited. He placed the small piece of brass on the night stand and headed for the door,the lock clicking behind as he headed to the two other rooms and did the same thing. Charlie stood in the hallway and stared at each door, wondering if he'd ever see the people behind them ever again after this night, it would be a while beforethe sedative wore off. He glanced at his watch, an hour and a half before showtime. Charlie turned and walked back down the stairs to the livingroom and plopped down onto the sofa, turning on the T.V., he flicked through the channels until he came to stop at Cinemax's presentation of Quintan Tarantino's Kill Bill Vol: 1 the film had just started with a sillouette of a comatose Uma Thurman. Another irony, a film about bloody satisfaction and samurai swords.

It was midnight, there was a rustle in the bushes as a killer slowly slithered through the shadows towards the Eppes family home. Koyuki Jenshio had returnedm and was ready for a few hours of her own twisted form of fun. Tied to her back was her instrument of torture, a sheathed samurai sword. She made her way to the houses back door and easily picked the lock, from what her senses could tell her, the TV was on in the livingroom, which probably meant her target was home, which meant, she could get to play. Kouyuki was a very pretty woman, but the smile that graced her lips held no beauty, it was infact, hideous. Kouyuki stealthily made her way down the hall towardsher intended target, slowly, carefully unsheathing her sword as she went. She was about to surprise her next "victim" when she stopped dead, the livingroom was empty, the only thing moving in the room was the movie on the TV. " That's odd" Thought Koyuki,the next second she felt herself flying forwards as somthing impacted with herback.

With a small grunt of pained shock,the female assassin looked up from where she ahd landed and came face to face with a pair ofalmost black eyes, burning with furry and disgust. They belonged to the young man she'd intended to kill. Koyuki was taken slightly aback by the fact that this innocent looking man had just visciously attacked her.

" You're gonna pay for that. She hissed as she got to her feet.

She watched in silent confusion as instead of terror being written over his face, a smirk curled itself over her opponents face.

" Oh, I don't think so. Drawled Charlie as he took a single step back and then savagely buried his fist into the plaster wall that seperated the livingroom from the wall.

He yanked his fist out and in an explosion of plaster dust,revealing the samurai sword that had been hidden there.

Kouyuki quirked one perfectly shaped eyebrow at this and spoke mockingly.

" What, you think you can actually take me on, College boy?"

" I have before, you're only standing here before me because of the giftI gave you. Drawled Charlie as he glared at Koyuki.

_This guy's off the deep end. _Thought Koyuki as she smirked mockingly at him.

" Oh, a gift, what gift would that be?"

" I gave you mercy, for Izumi's sake,and this is how you use that gift. Gritted out Charlie.

Koyuki felt a cold trickle of terror wash over her as she realized just who she truely was facing.

" Ghost." She whispered as she watched Charlie smile coldly at her in confermation.

" Guess what Yuki, now you get to die the death you should have gotten two years ago. Growled Charlie before with inhuman speed, he unsheathed his sword and lashed out with the deadly blade.

With a hiss, Kouyuki just barely managed to dodge the gleaming blade, only to feel a fist connect full impact with the her cheek. The blow momentarily dazed her, but she quickly regained her balance and with a glare of both furry and fear as she bolted for the back door, Charlie hard on her heels.

The cool night air bomdarded the two warriors as they took their brawl to the backyard. Then with equal furry, two powerful Japanese steel blades met with a small clang. Charlie glared into the eyes of Koyuki Jenshio, showing no sign of fear or doubt, he was going to kill this woman, daughter or not. The two of them savagely began to attack each other both with their blades and with their own hands.And so, time was forgotten, replaced by fury and murderous rage. The two of them were basically cutting each other to shreds, Charlie was bleeding from gashes to his arms and torso, Koyuki had similar wounds along withtwo gashes onboth legs.

Half an hour later, the two of them stood facing each other, both of them breathing hard, both of them numb to the pain that they were in.

This was it, the end had come for one of these warriors.

By dawn, only one would be left standing.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 12: Blood Red Dawn

Don Eppes groaned loudly as consciousness returned, albeit slowly.

" Where the hell am I? Thought Don as with cloudy vision, he took in his surroundings, then in an instant everything came back to him and one single thought raced through his mind.

Charlie, where was Charlie?

Don was instantly on his feet and he all but slammed into the door of the room, when he found it to be locked, he wanted nothing more than to smash through it. The sky was a ever lightening shade of purple, dawn was on its way. As Don futily tried to pry the door open, the memories of what had happened before he'd passed out came back to him in a tidal wave. The last thing he could remeber was seeing Charlie staring down at him, telling him everything would be alright. Don whirled around, looking frantically for anything that would help him open the door. When his gaze fell on the night stand, he immediatly zeroed in on the key that rested there. WIthin seconds, Don was visciously ripping the door open and bounding into the hallway, looking desperatly for any sign of either Charlie, his father, or his two fellow FBI agents.

soft groans eminating from the rooms on either side of the room he'd just been in was the welcome sign he was looking for. Don bolted to the room to his right and unlocked the door, the sight of a very groggy looking Alan Epps greeted him.

" Dad!" Yelled Don as he rushed to his father's side.

" Donnie?" Asked Alan as the effects of the sedative was beginning to wear off.

" Donnie, where's Charlie?"

Don was about to answer when the sound of another door opening made him turn his attention back to the hallway. The guest roomdoor opened to reveal a pair of very ruffled lookingFBI agents.

" David, Colby!" Yelled Don to get their attention.

The two men turned when they were called and jogged up to the door.

" You guys got your heads on?" Asked Don, noting the way the two of them looked totally frazzeled.

" Yeah, we're here Don, more or less." Muttered David tiredly, Colby trying to shake off the sedative behind him.

It was doubtful Don actually heard the comment because he'd bolted past everyone and was now flying down the stairs. David and Colby following suite, Alan behind them.

When Don reached the first floor, he was shocked to see that everything was the way it had been the night before save for the hole that now graced one of the walls.

Don looked around frantically until he looked down the hall towards the back, seeing the first rays of dawn through the glass panes of the back door.

David, Colby, and Alan watched as Don ran with all his might down the hall towards the back.

Don burst through the back door, the glass panes had been shattered, he stopped dead when his frantic gaze fell of the two forms before him. Don felt like he had somone's hand wrapped tightly around his windpipe as he gazed on the form of his baby brother Charlie cradling the lifeless body of a Japanese woman. Her eyes were glazed an unseeing, a samurai sword hilt jutting from it grotesque lodging in her gut.

" Oh My God." Whispered Someone behind him, it sounded like his father, but at that moment, Don could care less. Don Eppes's attention was focused completely on Charlie. The image before him would be forever burned into his memory.

Unruly curls obscured Charlie's face, the light grey T-shirt he was wearing was barely recognizable, slashed and blood drenched in several different places.As Don looked closer, he felt another jolt as he saw blood, trickling from several wounds all over his baby brother's arms.It was like the young man was frozen where he sat, on the dew and blood covered grass of the backyard.

Don swallowed thickly before taking the tentative steps forward and came to kneel beside his seemingly catatonic brother. Don licked his suddenly dry lips before he spoke.

" Charlie?" He asked softly, hoping to get a response from the other man.

All he got was silence. Don tentatively reached out with his hand and brought it under Charlie's chin and gently tuned his brother's face towards him so that their gazes met. The moment Don looked into Charlie's eyes, he felt his heart shatter and a feeling of fear settle over his stomach at what he saw. Once vibrant, bottomless orbs of the deepest brown stared back at him vacantly, stained with the salt of long dried tears.

" I tried to stop her." Came a barely audible whisper.

Don felt a jolt, Charlie had just spoke.

" Charlie, Buddy what happened?" He asked gently.After another pregnant pause, a shaky voice answered.

" Sh-She did this to herself, she rammed her own sword into her own gut Don." Said Charlie, his voice slowly regaining strength with each word as he looked back down at the corpse in his arms.

" It didn't have to be this way... It didn't have to be this way... It didn't..." Charlie's voice trailed off as violent sobs began to wrack through his whole body.

" Hello, this is FBI Agent Colby Granger, I need assistance at the Eppes house,send overan ambulance... And the coroner." Said Colby into his phone as he watched Charlie hug the body even tighter to him.

Don watched his brother as he rocked back and forth, sobbing brokenly, fresh rivets of salt pouring from his eyes.

" Oh buddy... Oh God Charlie." WHispered Don as he reached out with both his arms and physically pulled Charlie away from the corpse, who he knew was Koyuki Jenshio. The two of them took several steps back towards the koi pond

" No, let me go." Moaned Charlie as he faught feebly to get away from Don's vice-like grip, then suddenly his legs buckled underneath him.

Don gently eased himself andCharlie back to the ground. He watched as pain etched itself across Charlie's face a he let out a soft cry. It was them that Don realized that both of his hands felt strangely wet. Don pulled back one of his hands and felt a fresh wave of horror as he saw the deep crimson that now stained his fingers a palm.

" Oh God, where's that ambulance!" Screamed Don as he cradled Charlie to him.

As if a prayer had been answered, the sounds of sirens blasted through the air. Seemingly dozens of law enforcement vehicles screeched to a halt, a red and white ambulance pulled all the way up the driveway, two male paramedics bursting out, on a hispanic, the other a tall dark haired man had the stretcher.

They reacheda semi-conscious Charlie, gently prying him from Don's vice-likeand began spewing out medical lingo.

" BP is dropping, we gotta move this guy, he's gonna go into shock!" Yelled on of the medics as they strapped Charlie to the stretcher and hastily made their way back to the ambulence. Don was ran after them but both Colby and David held him back while Alan just stood there in shock and watched as they wheeled his baby away.

The paramedics loaded Charlie into the back of the rig and within seconds, were on there way to the hospital.

Charlie stared blankly at the ceiling for a moment before he turned his gaze to one of the paramedics.

" Don't worry sir, you're gonna be just fine. Smiled the hispanic paramedic.

" Cut the crap Mojave and get me off of this board." Muttered Charlie flatly, no trace of the emotional wreck he'd been just five minutes ago.

" Hey cut us some slack, we gotta play Paramedics here Ghost." Said the other Paramedic from the driver's seat, none other than Christian Wolfe AKA Knighthawk.

Charlie let out a dry chuckle as Julio Vargas undid the restraints. Though they were indeed headed for apublic hospital, Charlie wouldn't need that much patching up, hell, most of the damage was superficial, Steele would be waiting for them when they arrived.

Charlie let out a soft hiss of pain as Julio gently applied alcohol toone of thecuts on his arms.

" It wasa good kill". SaidChristian as he drove. He was met with silence for a moment.

" It wasn't my kill, the bitch turned herself into a sishcabob, she took the cowards way out." Muttered Charlie with a hint of disdain as he laid back down on the gurney for the remainder of the ride to the hospital.

_" You were a good warrior Koyuki Jenshio, but you lived with the mindframe of dying with honor. You never realized that one doesn't die with honor, they live with it."_ Thought Charlie


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 13: Tying up Loose Ends, and getting some Sleep.

The sirens blared as the ambulance roared into the ambulance bay of Saint Vincents hospital. Playing the partsof frantic paramedics to a tee, Julio and Christian both burst through the doors of the ER with their " Patient". Meeting some more familiar faces as they wheeled Charlie through the labyrinth on nurses, doctors, patients, and hospital equipment. Their destination was a private exam room. When the gurney came to a stop, Charlie sat up without trouble and met the gaze of one of the " Doctors".

" The scrubs are a good look on you Boss." Smirked Charlie as one of the CIA nurses pulled off his destroyed shirt.

Derek Steele quirked an eyebrow but smirked back none the less.

" My God Ghost, trouble seems to follow you everywhere." Said Steele as he took in the bruises and cuts that marred otherwise perfectly sculpted flesh.

" Guess I'm just unlucky." Hissed Charlie unhappily as the nurses began to clean and stich up the wounds on his arms and torso.

"Did you find her?" Asked Charlie in a slightly strained voice.

" Yeah, she's safe with an aunt in San Antonio." Answered Steele.

Thegirl they were refering to was Izumi Jenshio, a five year old who no longer had a mother.

" That's good to know." Said Charlie quietly as he let out a heavy sigh of weariness.

" We'll keep an eye on her, as for now, I suggest you play the part of a young man who's suffered an immense trauma, I'll deal with your family." Said Steele before he turned and left, leaving the nurse to finishher work.

" That was some mighty fine acting you pulled back their hermano." Smiled Julio from the chair he sat in by the window.

" Someone call the academy." Added Christian with a wolfish grin.

" Shut up the both of you." Said Charlie with atired smile.

" Done sewing you back together. Said the Nurse with a small smirk of her own.

" Thank you Mikaila." Said Charlie as he reached out and gently grasped the nurse's hand, planting a soft kiss on it.

Mikaila lifted one perfect eyebrow before shaking her head and heading out of the room.

Charlie heaved a sigh and then gently eased himself back onto the gurney.

" You two better get back to work." Muttered Charlie.

Julio and Christian took the hint as to give their leader his alone time. Then the two of them shared a mischevious look before the each stood on either side of the gurney and smiled down at Charlie.

" Feel better honey." Said Julio in a sing song voice before the he and Christian swooped down and planted a kiss on both of Charlie's cheeks. Charlie however, kept staring at the ceiling.

" I will kill the two of you if you do not leave right now." He growled.

The two other operatives hightailed it out of the room, not giving their leader a chance to make good on his threat. They didn't see the genuine smile that graced Charlie's lips, if only for an instant.

Charlie than got to his feet once more and looked around the exam room to find one of those backless hospital gowns. Once that was donned, he went back to laying on the gurney and maybe even catching a few precious minutes of sleep.

He'd wake up when Don got here. Right now, he just wanted the nothingness of a sleepy oblivion.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 14:A Giant Helping of Guilt and a visitFrom the Shrink

A powerful black SUV swerved its way through early morning trafficm barely obeying the speed limit as it made it's way to the hospital. Behind the wheel was a tightly wound Don Eppes with Alan in the passenger seat . The SUV screeched to a stop and its occupants piled out, punning through the emergency room doors, in frantic search of Charlie. Don ran up to the front desk, not noticing a certain " Doctor" secretly waiting for him.

" Hey, I'm looking for my little brother Charlie, Charlie Eppes, your guys brought him here! Said Don, nearly yelling. It was than that " Dr. Steele" stepped in.

" Are you Don Eppes?" Asked Steele.

" Yes." Said Don anxiously as he turned to the" Doctor".

" I'm Dr. Coburn. Your brother is in one of the exam rooms. Follow me." Said Steele as he pointed down the hall. Thetwo men followed" Coburn" to the exam room.

Meanwhile in the exam room, Mikaila gently shook Charlie awake so she could inform him of the situation and check his dressings, mainly the one around his middle for the gash on his side.

" Your family's here and by the looks of it, your bro's terrified. Said Mikaila quietly. A look of sadness filled Charlie's deep brown eyes. This was the part he never liked, having to put up yet another fascade. Charlie lay back down on the gurney and feined sleep just as " Coburn" led his family into the room.

Don paused a moment to look at his baby brother's " sleeping" form. Though he was no longer the pale, bloody mess of a man he'd been that morning, he still looked like hell, bruises were already beginning to form, and thoughthe white bandages hid the gashes, the pink irritated skin around the wounds were somewhat visible. Don snapped out of his trance and made his way to Charlie's side. He reached out and gently buried his hand into the unruly mass of curls, stroking the curls softly before he turned to the " Doctor".

" How bad is it?" He asked quietly as Alan walked up to the other side of the gurney and hesitantly placed his hand on Charlie's chest,over his youngest son's heart, reassurance that his baby wasbreathing.

" Not as bad as it looks, all of the damage is superficial, mostly cuts and bruises, most of the blood we cleaned off of him wasn't his. He will be sore for the next couple of days, soI'll perscribe some mide pain meds." Said " Coburn" as he pulled out a perscription pad and pen, scribbling a few things down.

In reality, he didn't write anything, instead, he used slight of hand, a little trick of the trade, and switched what he'd written for thereal doctor Coburn's written perscrpition. He handed the paper to Don and then stepped back to watch the show begin as his operative "stirred from his slumber".

Deep brown eyes fluttered open and blinked slowly before they settled on theFBI Agent standing beside the bed.

" Don?" Croaked Charlie, oh yeah, he was laying it on thick.

" Hey Buddy, how you feeling?" Asked Don softly as he petted the top of his brother's head gently.

" Like crap." Answered Charlie flatly. Earning a small chuckle from Don.

Charlie felt a hand over his heart and brought up one of his own to cover it, taking in its warmth, he turned a gave his father a small smile.

" Hey Dad."

Alan instead remained silent, he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on his son's brow.

_" I am so sorry for lying to you bothagain"_. Thought Charlie as he felt the sting of tears behind his eyes. The tears he'd shed earlier were not Koyuki Jenshio, but for the daughter she abandoned for a killing spree, and now, these tears were the tears of self loathing and guilt.

" When can we take him home." Asked Alan as he watched his youngest blink furiously against the tears. Don squeezed Charlie's shoulder gently as he watched his brother try to reign in his emotions.

"Coburn" Heaved a small sigh before he spoke.

" Physically, he's going to be fine and can leave todaybut, after being informed of the circumstances to which these injuries were inflicted, I think it's best if he visits a psychologist. If you'd like, I could call the one we have on staff."

Don and Alan looked down at Charlie and in silence asked him what he wanted.

" Okay, sure, I'll take to the shrink, but after, can you just take me home." Asked Charlie, putting on his best puppydog eyed expression. It worked like a charm as Don and Alan both nodded to Coburn, who nodded and picked up the phone in the room and "dialedthe number for Psych consult".

A few minutes later another man walked into theroom, dressed casually in a grey button-up shirt and black suite pants, he had blond hair and blueeyes. He smiled at the other manm a smallassurance of sorts.

" Hello, I'm Dr. Ross,I'm herebecause somebody needs someone to talk to." He said.

" That would be me." said Charliequietly.

"Alright, would you like your family to be with you or would you like some privacy. Asked Dr. Ross quietly.

Charlie looked from Don to Alan and thensaid apologetically.

" Can I do this bymyself please?"

Don was about to protest when a warning look from Alan stopped him, the older Eppes brother sigh in defeat and with a final reassuring touch, the two of them left Charlie in the care of Dr. Ross.

Charlie heaved a small sigh as Ross took a seatbeside him.

" So how are you holding up?" Asked Ross.

" Well, I'm not feelin to gulity about what happened to Jenshio if that's what you mean Toby." Answered Charlie as he turned his gaze to the shrink, who so happened toactuallybe CIA Agent Tobias Finch, who, along with being the "Big Three's" chauffer of sorts, was also a liscenced Shrink.

" So Mr. Eppes, why don't you start from the beginning of what happened between you and Koyuki Jenshio. And I mean, the first time you ever laid eyes on this woman." Said Toby.

With a sigh and a roll of his eyes, Charlie started recounting his encounter with Koyuki Jenshio...

Meanwhile, out in the hall, Don and Alan Eppes sat outside of the exam room, each lost in his own thoughts.

_" I let you down Charlie,I should've protected you.What was in that coffee? Why didn't you drink any of it? Was it because you saw what happened to the rest of us? My God, where are all the answers to these questions? What aren't you telling me?"_ Were among the myriad of questions running through Don's mind.

_" My God, I almost lost my boy to that psychopath. Oh my God, my baby boy, oh Margaret, I almost lost him likeI did you. Charlie, what happened?"_ Thought Alan as he stared through the window at his son laying on the gurney, talking or maybe mombling to the shrink.

If only they knew what was really going on, Charlie secretly wished he could ease their worry but thought better of it.

Inside the exam room, Charlie recounted his tale.

" I'll leave out the finer details,I first met Koyuki Jenshio while we wereon a job in Kyoto Japan. Wewere dispatched to make sure a U.S. Diplomat wasn't whacked. Jenshio was the assassin the mob had hired to take him out. The night she struck,I decided to take her on myself, no need to risk my two other fellow operatives and besides, I knewI was the better fighter. When she was about to dish out the killer blow, she met me, I was in thebed, not her target. Wefought and I came to within a centimeter of slicing her in half whenI remember what came up in her CIA file, she had a kid, a little girl, soI decided to show her mercy, sue me, I _do_have a conscience. I let her walk away without her ever seeing my face. I had already seen her handy work through crimescene photos of unsolved homicidecases in the Japanese database, soI carved her signature into my own neck. I informed my Commander of my actions, and was repremanded andrelieved of duty until further notice. But,I was reactivated, one of the perks of being one of the best. Got called in for the jobs in New Zealand,Paris, and the last one, inDemascus.Now, i find myself here, taking to you."

Toby looked at him evenly before he spoke.

" So, you don't feel any guilt for Koyuki Jenshio, but you do feel guilty about her dautgher, and for those five people Jenshio killed before you stopped her."

" I didn't stop her, she stopped herself. That idiot thoughtthat byplunging her own sword into her gut, she'd redeemed herself. All she did was make a big mess in my backyard, andnowI gotta come up with something so that my cover isn't blown." Said Charlie crossly.

Toby gave a small chuckle before hescribbled somthing onto the clip board in his hands.

" AlrightMr. Eppes,I see nothing wrong, your stillthe guy we know and love." Smiled Toby

" Shut-up Cabby, and get the hell out of here beforeeverybody else get's here, Amita will recognize you if she sees you. Said Charlie with a small smile of his own.

" I'll see you later Ghost. Said Toby as he headed out of the room.

Steele walked in through the side door and stared down at his operative.

" Ghost, I will say this to you once and only once, you show mercy only when you are ordered to. If you everpull the same mistake you did with Jenshio, I won't just have you deactivated permanently, I'll have you erased off the face of the earth. Do you understand?" Asked Steele, in a voice as cold and comandeing as his namesake.

" Yes sir... I'm sorry sir,I already assured youit will not happen again." Said Charlie as he held his comanding officer's gaze.

With a nod,Steele went back out to deal with Don and Alan Eppes, who were toatlly oblivious to the real situation.

Charlie sighed and layed back down on the gurney andstared at the ceiling.

This wasn't over, not by a longshot.

_" I have so much workto do."_ Thought Charlie


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 15: The Investigation andA few Choice Answers

The Eppes house was swarming with activity as Megan, Colby, and David, along with several more FBI Agents and technician's collected evidence and watched as the coroner took away a gurney conatining a filled body bag.

" Can you guys tell me what happened?" Asked Megan as she sat with Colby and David.

" There was somthing in the coffee, it knocked out everyone except Charlie, the dude was so wrapped up in his math, he probably didn't get in a sip." Answered David.

"Charlie saw us all go bye bye but, how'd we end up upstairs?" Asked Colby.

" The only logical explaination is that Charlie carried you guys upstairs." Said Megan.

Both Colby and David looked at her unbelievingly.

" But that would mean that Charlie had to carry all of us up two flights of stairs, dump us into three seperate rooms and then locked us in for good measure. I don't believe that for a second. I mean, isn't that physically immpossible for a guy of Charlie's stature? Asked Colby.

" I don't know, I mean picture yourself in Charlie's shoes, everybody around you has been incapaicitated, you realize that the worst case scenario is comming true, you guys are two friends plus there's his father and brother. He was terrified out of his mind and decided that locking the four of you guys into the upstairs room was the only way to keep all of you safe." Said Megan.

David shook his head while Colby chewedon his thumbnail.

" Megan, you should've seen him, he was just sitting there covered in blood, he was hugging that body to him. I tell you, I ain't gonna get that image out of my mind anytime soon." Said David.

" I just hope he's alright, any word from Don?" Asked Colby.

" I'm calling him right now." Said Megan as she pulled out her cell. She speed-dialed Don's number and waited for him to answer.

" Hello?" Came a voice laced with exhaustion. Don,

" Don, it's me Megan, how's Charlie?" Asked Megan softly.

" He's responsive, and he's talked to the shrink, they say that the damage was superficial and that he's gonna be okay in a few days. But there's still so much..." Don trailed off when he saw Larry and Amita walking up to them, worried expressions ontheir faces.

" I'll call you back Megan, Larry and Amita are here." Said Don as he flipped his cellphone off. He greeted a very anxious Larry and Amita.

" How is he?" Asked Amita immediately.

" He's gonna be alright. The doctor said that there wasn't any lasting damage" Said Alan.

Both Larry and Amita heaved sighs of relief. Their gazes fell on Charlie through the window of the exam room.

" Can we go in and see him?" Asked Larry hesitantly.

" Yeah, we're taking him home soon anyway." Said Don.

Charlie gave both Larry and Amita a "wan" smile as they entered the room.

Three hours later, they were all piled into Don's SUV with one destination in mind, Casa Eppes. By now, the FBI team had cleared out, with only Megan, David, and Colby waiting for them.

All through the ride, Don stole glances at Charlie, who was sitting in the passenger seat, staring out the window at the passing scenery, his expression seemed far off.

In reality, Charlie was running a few different scenarios through his head for the enevitable barrage of question he knew were going to be thrown his way the minute he got home, but for now, he'd play the part of a traumatized young man. In truth, he didn't feel guilt like he did with other kills, this time because he hadn't actually plunged his sword into Koyuki's gut. that was her own sword, in her own gut. As they pulled into the driveway, Charlie felt the waves of anticipation.

_" Maybe time for another one of my stories."_ Sighed Charlie mentally as Alan helped him out of the car. The white T-shirt Don had fished out for him was thankfully two sized too big, not irritating his injured side.

When the five of them reached the front door, they were greeted by a very relieved Megan Reeves. When they all entered the house, Charlie silently made his way past everyone into the livingroom and gingerly eased himself onto the sofa. He lifted on gauze wrapped arm and rested it over his eyes.

The other's thankfully took the hint and let Charlie sit there, not bombarding him with the questions they so desperately wanted answers for. They all went into the dinningroom and began to talk quietly.

" How is he doing?" Asked Megan as they all lounged around the dinning table.

" To be honest, I don't know how he is... What surprises me most is that he hasn't gone off into one of his math equations yet." Sighed Don.

" What about you guys, did you figure out anything?"

" What we know so far is that Jenshio probably laced the coffee and by some miracle, Charlie didn't drink any of it." Said David.

" Some luck, it left him all alone against a killer." Muttered Colby.

" And the only explanation for how you guys ended up upstairs because Charlie put you there." Said Megan quietly.

This statement left Don's mind reeling. The image of a scrawny little thirteen year old Charlie flashed through his mind. It was a total blindsiding to think that his baby brother was capable of that kind of strength.

Don turned his gaze to the livingroom to see Charlie and felt a jolt when he saw the now empty sofa.

" Charlie?" Asked Don as he bolted from the dinningroom into the livingroom, the others following. Don looked around frantically until he heard Colby's voice.

" Don." Said the other agent with a knowing look on his face as he pointed down the hall, which led to the one place Don was dreading he'd find Charlie. The backyard. Don jogged down the hall, the others following in his wake as headed to said backyard. He stopped when he reached the door, eyeing the lone figure standing on the grass through the glass pane door.

Don turned back to the crowd behind him and with a single look, told them to keep their distance, he'd handle this. He then slowly walked across the threshold of the backdoor to join his brother in the backyard.

Charlie seemed totally oblivious to his pressence, his attention focused totally on the discolored grass a few feet infront of him.

" Charlie?" Asked Don softly, he was met with silence.

" Somebody better wash out that blood, it's gonna kill the grass." Came a flat, tired voice.

" It can wait, why don't you come inside Buddy?" Suggested Don hopefully. He watched with relief as Charlie silently nodded and turned to face his brother.The two brothers walked back into the house to meet the anxious crowd waiting for them.

" Sorry I worried you." Said Charlie quietly before he walked back down the hall to the livingroom. Megan gave Don a look and Don gazed back at her torn but knowing what needed to be done.

" Let's give him some time,I don't think he's ready to be questioned." Said Don.

" Alright Don, in the mean time, I think the three of us will go back to the office,Colby and me'llfill out our reports the bestwe can." Said David as with a nod, the three agents took their leave.

As the three of them walked to the front door, the glanced at the livingroom and felt a collectivepang of guilt and sadness as they viewed Charlie, fast asleep on the sofa, lookingmore like a teenager than a thirty year old, pale and finding no peace inslumber as one normally would.The three of them leftCasa Eppes feeling guilty about Charlie, and a deep loathingfor Koyuki Jenshio.

Three daysLater...

" Thank you for coming here,I know this is going to be difficult for you but,can you tell us what happened that three days ago?" Asked Megan gently as she sat across from a verypale looking Charlie.

" Okay... That night...Don, Dad, David, Colby, and me were all at the house, I was in the diningroom, Dad was making coffee. I was caught up in theequationI was scribbling at, I don't thinkI drank any of that stuff, the next thing Iknow, everybody'd been knocked out. I managed to tell Don that it was gonna be okay before he passed out." At this, Charlie let out a dry, humorlesschuckle.

" I told him it was gonna be okay,like I knew what the hell was going to happen." Charlie shook his head while Megan spoke up.

" Charlie, we found another samuari sword at the scene, its yours isn't it? She said with a look of wanting confermation.

" Yes, the other sword is mine. That hole in the wall of my house was from me punching through it to get itout from whereI'd hidden it. I never mentioned to you guys that after my first encouter with... her... I decided it would be a good idea to at least get the basics to defend. Contraryto popular belief, I don't do math every waking moment of my life, I have a licence for that thing. Said Charlie.

From behind the two way mirror, Don, Colby,and David were literally gauwking at their resident math geek. Never had they thought of Charlie as being trained to use a weapon like a samurai sword. They all watched as Charlie continued.

" After they all passed out, I knew she was coming, so I did the next best thing, I am alot stronger than I look, they didn'y weigh that much to me. I locked them upstairs and waited downstairs.I didn't want her hacking any of them into pieces to get to me." Said Charlie with a barely caught shrug before he continued.

" She came at midnight and tried to slice me in half, I ducked and ran to the wall, I puched it and got out my sword. We fought until we reached the backyard, she knocked my sword out of my hands and had her's poised to... slit my throat wide open. And do youwhat I did? I begged, I begged her not to kill me. She went on about how she couldn't spare me again, because there was no honor in living with defeat. Every person she killed was a victory in her eyes, I was her only defeat she said. The one mistakeshe was gonna rectify, I thought she was gonna finish what she started, instead she... She..." Trailed off Charlieand Megan knew that this interview was over.

She turned to the two way and gave a small nod toher three fellow agents before she reached out and gently squeezed one of Charlie's hands. Charlie looked at her with those bottomless deep brown eyes and her heart went out to him.

_" Hook, line, and sinker."_Thought Charlie with a mental grin though on the outside he wasmilking thetraumatized puppy dog look to a tee.

Megan took her leave while Don quietly entered the room and took a set on top of the table beside Charlie. The two brothers sat in silence beforeDon spoke.

" So, you know how to use a samurai sword, and you had one hidden in the wall of your house." Said Don flatly as he turned togaze down at hisbrother.

" Yeah, I do, it kept me alive." Said Charlie, he paused before he spoke again.

" Are you mad?" He asked,sounding more younger than his thirty years, staring up at Don with those puppy dog eyes (Still laying it on thick).

Don shook his head no before he reached out and gently cupped one of Charlie's stubbled cheeks. Three days and his little brother looked like wreck.

" Let me take you home." Was all Don said. Charlie nodded and the two brothers walked out of the interrogation room.

Today, a few knew abilities were unearthed about his brother, in the back of his mind, Don couldn't help but wonder, what else didn'y he know about Charlie? Wasn't Charlie a lousy at keeping secrets?


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 16: Seeing if Believing

It was a rare day off for agent Colby Granger, he decided on spending it at his favorite gym/ dojo. It was a good opertunity to catch up on his Jiu Jitsu. Colby parked his silver SUV and got out of the vehicle, gymbag in tow. He was ready for a good workout, he didn't realize he'd also be seeing a certain someone in action because they also had Kendo at this gym.

" Hey Granger, long time no see." Called out Manny, one of the trainers.

" Hey Manny, what can I say, FBI is a full time job." Shrugged Colby as he grasped the other man's hand.

Then Colby noticed the crowd at the far end of the gym.

" Hey man, what's going on over there?" Asked Colby curiosly.

" Why don't we go check it out, those are theKendo mats over there." Said Manny as he and Colby headed off to see what was up.

" Hey Jacob, what's goin on?" Asked Manny as he and Colby pushed their way into the crowd.

" You could say we have a little tournament. It's between the more experienced fighters and this new guy. We don't know his name and what he looks like, just that he's already taken down three of our guys. Fox istaking him on, put that guy in his place." Said Jacob as he pointed to the center of the mat, where two fighters stood. One of them was their man Fox, the undesputed king of the mat, dressed in red armor and mask while his opponent, the " New Guy"stood in black.

" Get him Fox!" Yelled Manny. Colby watched on in fascination as Fox raised his Shinai and got the crowd cheering. The " New Guy" however, was unfazed and merely stood there and waited for the sparring to begin.The ref, Danny, another one of the trainers stepped between the two combatants.

" Are you ready?" He asked Fox, who let out a small growl as he nodded.

" Are you ready?" Danny repeated the question to the New Guy, who nodded silently.

" First person gets three rounds wins, bow to each other and begin!" Yelled Danny as he got out of the way.

The two fighters bowed to each other before they both took their stances. Fox trying a little one uping by showing off his speed when he did. The New Guy however, slowly, and calmy got into his fighting stance.

The two of them stood that way for a fraction of a second before Fox rushed forward and began his viscious attack with his wooden sword. It was a stunning showcase of Fox's attack capability but, what was more stunning was his opponent's uncany ability to calmy and fluidly block each attack. Then out of nowhere, the unknown fighter lunged forward and became a black blur as he unleashed an onslaught of fury.

There was a collective gasp as the crowd watched Fox become overwhelmed by the barrage of attacks more viscious than his own. Then everything stopped when Fox's Shinai went flying and he found himself on his knees with his opponent's wooden sword at his throat in a faux kill-blow.

" Woah, this guy's good." Said Colby, Manny sent him a look that could've killed him, but Colby merely grinned.

Danny was in action in no time, he was between both fighters,sending them to opposite sides of the mat.

" Winner of the first round, fighter in Black." Shouted Danny, the crowdjeeredand then began to cheer for the next round to begin.

Within minutes the two fighters were facing off again and from behind his mask, Fox was furious, no beginner was gonna beat him.

" You guys ready? Get it on!" Shouted Danny as he quickly got out of the way.

Fox decided not to rush headlong into another attack, instead opting to be more calculating in his strikes. He inched forward and lashed out once before snapping back, however,his opponent didn't react to the false attack at all.

Then, Fox lunged forward with a lighting fast attack, which to his disbeleif, was deflected in a millisecond and he found himself with a Shinai at his throat one again. The crowd groaned collectively as another round was lost to the fighter in black.

The two fighter retreated to their sides of the mat, Fox's anger was evident.

" Oh you are going down." Thought Fox as he glared at his opponent, who was clamly twirling his Shinai in a graceful manner.

" Who the hell is this guy?" Asked Manny in disbelief at the calm fighter standing on the other side of the mat.

" A damn good fighter." Someone in the crowd pipped up. Colby and the others got ready for the third and final match, maybe Fox could turn things around still, all he needed was one win to stay in the game. But in the back of his mind, Colby could tell that this would be the last round.

It was all or nothing, the fighters met in the center of the mat, Fox unleashing a barrage of his best moves, feeling a sense of glee when he forced his opponent backwards. Then in an unexpected move, the Black fighter showed off his acrobatic chops by doing a one handed frontal cartwheel, landing silently and poised to strike. Fox rushed him for the kill. The Unknown side stepped Fox and tripped him, sending the red fighter into a full fledged face plant with the mat. The crowd watched as the New Guy leapt into the air and like bird of prey, came swooping down on the fallen fighter.

There was a collective silence as the other fighter landed deathly close to his opponent, his Shinai pointed at the back of Fox's neck.

Danny sprung into action at that moment, the fight was over and vistory had been one by the stranger. Danny was about to step between the two fighters when the fighter in black lowered his Shinai and simply stood looming over Fox.

Fox rolled over to stare up at the one who'd defeated him. He was about to pounce and beat the guy to a bloody pulp when the other fighter held out a hand. Fox stared at the offered hand a moment before deflating and accepting the hand. A stong force pulled him to his feet and the two of them stared at each other before the fighter in black spoke.

" You're a good fighter Fox, you just have to realize that attacking with arrogance and anger ensures only defeat." Came a quiet voice from behind the mask.

These words seemed to strike a cord and Fox pulled off his mask and then held out his hand. The crowd watched as the victor reached up and pulled off his mask. The moment the mask was off, Colby felt his jaw loose all tension, probably becoming good friends with the floor.

There standing with a Shinai and Kendo mask under one arm was Charlie Eppes, unruly curls pulled back into a tight ponytail, his face was graced by a light shadow of stubble, and there was no fatigue from the hard battling he'd been doing, hell, it didn't look like he even broke a sweat, no trace of the emotional wreck of just two weeks ago.

Manny noticed the shell shocked look on his friends face an felt immediate concern.

" Hey, Granger, you OK?" He asked. He shook the other man to snap him out of his trance.

" Oh my God, That's Charlie Eppes, that math genius I told you about." Said Colby as he continued to gawk at Charlie shaking hands with Fox, the crowd clapping at the sign of mutual respect.

" What's your name?" Asked Fox as he gazed at the young man who'd just whupped his ass.

" I'm Charlie, Charlie Eppes." Said Charlie with a small smile.

" Wait a minute, Eppes, as in the math whiz Granger keeps talking about, his boss's younger brother?" Asked Fox disbelief etched into his voice.

" You know Colby?" Asked Charlie in feigned shock, he already knew Colby worked out at this gym and he could see said man staring at him with wide green eyes, out the corner of his eye.

"Yeah, he comes here all the time hey, there he is over there." Said Fox as he pointed to the crowd. All eyes turned to Colby and the totally shocked look on his face.

_" Busted"_ Thought Charlie as he met Colby's wide, green eyed stare.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 17: A Revealing Coversation And More Than Just A Math Geek

" So, you gonna explain to me whatI just saw on the mats?" Asked Colby as he took a bite out of the grilled chicken sandwich he'd ordered. He gazed at Charlie from across the table they were sitting at, outside of the sandwhich shop across the street from the Gym. The FBI agent watched as Charlie gave a small shrug before answering.

" When Megan interviewed me about the whole Jenshio incident, I told her I knew the basics of Samurai swordplay, which was once true but,I've learned a hell of a lot more since then." Said Charlie with a small, mischivous grin.

" I still can't wrap my head around this man, I mean, a week ago you were a total wreck, now look at you, you're the new King of the Mat! Said Colby, the disbelief still evident in his voice, though not as volumous as it had been twenty minutes ago.

Upon being refered to as the new " King of the Mat" Charlie let out a fit of chuckles that lit up his entire face. Colby simply stared at the other man, it was like seeing the Charlie he'd first met on his first case on Don's team, happy and vibrant. But, all too soon, Charlie sobered up and looked at him thoughtfully.

" Colby, there is are a lot of this I choose not to reveal to the rest of the world. Don thinks that I'm lousy when it comes to keeping secrets, then last year he finds out that I have top level NSA clearance, then he finds out that I sometimes help out the NSA on top secret projects." Said Charlie calmly. Colby nodded.

" The reason why I'm still not a wreck about Koyuki Jenshio is because... It wasn't the first time someone killed themselves infront of me." Said Charlie quietly, watching as Colby's expression grew into one of shock yet again. These words shook Colby to the core. Charlie let out a small sigh before he continued.

" When I was ninteen, one of my friends took a gun and blew his brains out, and I was standing a few feet away when he did it. Don and dad don't know about this because I never told them but, my mom knew and... I learned to deal with it. People like me, us geniuses, we have a higher probabilty of getting depressed to the point of wanting to... have it all end." Said Charlie quietly, as he gazed at Colby, the other man could see the hint of pain behind those almost black eyes.

" My God Charlie, I'm so sorry but, you should've at least told Don about what happened with your friend. That was way too much for a nineteen year old to deal with." Said Colby as he shook his head and gazed at his friend.

"Back then me and him, we didn't see much of each other,he didn't need to know, and, I had mom." Said Charlie as he took a bite of his tuna melt. Colby stared at the man sitting across from him and saw not the innocent looking, seemingly easy going math genius he had come to know. Now, he saw quiet strength and dignity, someone who truely knew the harshness of the real world. All of the assumptions Colby had had blew right out the window.He was never going to look at Charlie the same way ever again. But, one question still remained.

" Charlie, I don't mean to be rude or anything but, why areyou telling me about all this instead of David or Megan?" Asked Colby somewhat sheepishly.

" Why, what's wrong with talking to you? Asked Charlie. Colby blinked several times at this question.

" Oh, well... I'm not exactly the sensitive type Charlie." Said Colby with a sheepish smile.

" Well, maybe I'd like a little less sensitivity." Shrugged Charlie with a thoughtful gleam in his eyes. He gave Colby a dazzeling smile before returning to his sandwhich. Colby's gaze lingered on Charlie a moment before he too went back to finishing lunch.

_" Wow, I'm never gonna look at Whizkid the same way ever again. Hell, I should stop calling him that."_ Thought Colby as they finished their meal. Ten minutes later, the two of them were heading back to the gym.When theygot back inside, a few heads turned, andfour guys walked up to them. They were the four Kendofighters Charlie ahd defeated. Colby felt himself tense as Foxbrokeaway from thefour and walked up to Charlie. The two men stared at each other, Fox a clear head taller than Charlie, but there was no intimidation in Charlie's gaze.

"Charlie Eppes, I speak for us all when I say, welcome to the gym." Said Fox with a smile, which Charlie returned as he shook hands with the last man he had defeated, the best of the four. He then shook hands with the other fighters, Kyle, Terrance, and Takeshi.

" Oh and one other thing newbie, we'll be expecting a rematch." Smirked Fox.

" I look forward to it." Smirked back Charlie.

Colby released the breath he didn't know he was holding. Charlie turned and gave the FBI agent a small smile before the two of them headed to the Jiu Jitsu mats. This time, Charlie would be the spectator and watch his friend in action. Besides, Colby was giving him a ride home afterwards.

Charlie sat cross legged on the mat and watched Don's personal " Tank" in action as he took down his opponents.

An hour later, the two of them were heading for Colby's silver SUV. From the driver's seat, Colby noticed the black and red symbol tattooed on the back of his passenger's neck.

" It's Japanese, stands for Ghost" Said Charlie, effectively startling the FBI agent out of his staring. Colby felt a momentary surge of confusion as to how Charlie knew he'd been staring at his neck, then he remembered the other man's Kendo abilities and how senses could be hightened with that kind of training. This sturred several more questions in Cobly's mind as he headed for Casa Eppes, among them was just what else was the " Whizkid" capable of?

One thing Colby Granger did know now was that CharlieEppes was more than just a Math Geek. Much more.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 18: Life Goes on For the Secret CIA Operative

Charlie's POV

Time stops for no one. For me that holds true. Months have past since Koyuki Jenshio disrupted my life. Im back to teaching at CalSci. Back to being the FBI's secret weapon against the evil doers. Back to being my the deactivated CIA Operative. Yeah, life's slowly getting back to normal save for a few aspects. I'm the reigning " King of the Mats" as Colby so lovingly likes to refer to me whenever we meet at the gym. I still keep my mastery of the Samuari sword hidden from Don and the others, I trust Colby to keep his silence,as far as they're concerned I'm just the novice, still learning how to. It's strange, how at peace I am right now. I wish I could hold onto this small slice of heaven. But, this happiness I feel is tainted by the bitter reality that is mine. When I told Colby that at the age of nineteen I saw a friend kill himself before my eyes, he wasn't some school buddy, he was a fellow operative who could no longer live with himself.He was the first person I ever saw die as an Operative.When I think about before I chose the life I live now, I can almost feel the razor digging into the flesh of my left arm, it's amazing what a little neosporin and the human body's own healing abilities can do, the four scars are barely visible now. I'm grateful for that.

But,in the back of my mind I know that... Heaven never lasts for someone like me... Never...

It was a clear night over Zermatt, Switzerland. In the air,Charlie Eppes looked down from his perch inside the Black Hawk Helecopter.

" Hey Ghost, you ready to dive?" Asked Nighthawk with a wolfish grin. Mojave chuckling beside him.

Ghost turned to his two fellow operatives and gave them a mock glare.

" Last time I checked, wasn't it one of you who screamed like a little girl when we were flying over Prague and had to jump?" He asked, causinga blush to form across Nighthawk's cheeks.Mojave laughed out loud at that.

" Oh by the way, wasn't it you Mojave who sounded like you're cousin Rosita when you found that scorpian on your pillow when we weredoing survaillencein Cairo?" That effectively shut Mojave up. Charlie turned his attention back to the city they were flying over. It was obviously back to being Ghost, leader of the CIA Unit known as the " Big Three".

The mission now was not to stopa weapons deal like in Demascus, this time they were after someone. This time it was a capture. The target was Nikolai Yurich, a Russian scientist who'd sold his soul to the devil as it were, instead of using his talents to help people, he'd turned to engineering viral weaponry. Now it was up to the three of them to stop his madness. Steele had specifically told him that if it came down to it, bring back Yurich's head, as long as his operations were stopped. An Informant inside of Yurich's circle had given the location of his underground laboratory/hideout. It was dangerously close to the center of the City of Zermatt. Figures, he'd want the most damage if he was to unleash one of his " Bacteria Bombs".

The Black Hawk past the busy metroplitan areaof thecityand instead headed for the outskirts. As they neared the drop sight, one of the pilots turned to thethree operatives.

" You guys ready?" He screamed over the Helecopter blades.

In answer,Ghost gave the Pilot a thumbs up before pulling down thegoggles that rested on his head over his eyes and with a final check of his parachute, he jumped.

Two other bodies followed him, the" Big Three"fell through the sky in a triangular trinity. It was a feeling of exhilaration as the wind roared in their ears and the ground was quickly approaching.

Before they reached a dangerously low altitude, the three of them pulled their parachute cords and felt themselves being yanked backwards as the blck canopies opened.

The three of them lazily desended back down to earth onto the grassy field where Toby was waiting for them with their gear.

" Time to save the World again." Thought Ghost.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS so don't sue me. I don't own the song " Whered you Go" By Fort Minor either.

Chapter 19: Where'd You Go

Thousands of miles away from Zeramatt, in the Los Angeles Federal Bureau of Investigations, Agent Don Eppes heaved a sigh as his gaze fell on a framed picture at the corner of his desk. It was a picture of him, his Dad, and his beloved Charlie. It had been two months since Charlie disappeared, this time leaving a note telling them he'd been called away, probably by the NSA. Though he'd told them not to worry and that he would come back. Not a day went by when Don didn't feel a horrible for not being able to say goodbye to his baby brother, to look into his almost black eyes that conveyed so much, to wrap his arms around thesmaller frame of the one he loved so much. Instead, he'd come to an empty house and a folded piece of paper on the table in the foyer.

_" Oh, where'd you go buddy?"_

Don wasn't the only one thinking about a certain curly haired math genius. A this desk, Colby Granger heaved a small sigh of his own when he opened one ofthe drawersin his desk and his gaze fell on the picture he kept there, taped to the inside. It was a pretty funny photo, it was of him and Charlie at the gym. The image was of Colby defeated,laying on his stomach on one of the gym mats and standing with his full weight on top of the FBI agent's back was a barefootCharlie, his arms raised above his head in triumph a happy open mouth grin shining brightly across his face. Ten months and the two of them had become inseperable. Two months and Colby missed the " Whizkid" terribly and yes, he still called Charlie the Whizkid. So happened, Charlie actually liked the nickname.

"_ Where'd you go Whizkid?"_

David Sinclair sat staring at his computer screen, they weren'y getting anywhere with their new case, and the guy they had consulting for them was a slow wreck of a man who took two days to do what Charlie could do in two hours. In the back of his mind, David would always think about a mass of curly hair and eyes so vibrant and full of life and above all, innocence undimed by time. David let out a small sigh.

_" Where did you go Oh Gifted One?"_

From where she sat, Megan Reeves could see that all of the guys on the team were in "Thinking about Charlie" mode. Naturally, she began to think about Charlie as she gazed at the paper origami flower he'd given her on the first case they'd worked on, where the Judge's wife was killed. She missed Charlie's cute analogies and easy grin.

_" Where'd you go Charlie?"_

At Casa Eppes, Alan Eppes heaved a sigh of his own as he cleared up lunch. The house was so empty and he wanted his Charlie back so badly, at times it hurt physically. Don was by every night to keep him company. He could still remeber that day when he came home to find his Donnie sitting on the stairs, silent and staring at a letter in his hands. His Charlie had disappeared again, and who knew when he'd come back? If he came back?

_" Oh Charlie, where'd you go? Please come back to me."_

At Calsci, Larry Fleinhardthad just finished teaching a class and now sat in his office. His mind drifted naturally to his missing colleague. A small, sad smile tugged as he remember that once, Charlie was his student. He missed his friend terribly. Calsci seemed so empty without its youngest professor.

_" Where did you go Charles?"_

Amita walked down the hall, her gaze far off as she thought about Charlie and how much she missed him.A small smile tugged at her lips when she thought about that time after she'dgone to see Santiduring the organ theft case. Charlie's had suggested she talk to her grandmother to see how she could help that poor girl. She'd been so grateful, she'd run up and kissed him and he'd looked stunned. It was an adorable look for him. God, she missed him.

_" Where'd you go?"_

_Where'd you go _

_I miss you so_

_Seems like it been forever_

_Since you've been gone._

_Please come back home._


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 20: The Mission in Motion

The ground was a welcome feeling beneath Ghost's boots as he set down and unhooked his parachute, Mojave and Nighthawk mirroring him. Ghost freed himself and jogged up to the waiting white van, his two fellow operatives following. It held within it's massive form all of the gear they'd be need for this mission.

" Hey Cabby." Grinned Nighthawk as Toby Finch greeted them and opened the trunk space.

" Hey guys." Said Toby with a smile as the three of them quickly got their gear on.

Guns, granades, knives, tazers, canisters full of God knows what, modified Kevlar vests, a few swords for Ghost and a whole lot more went into multiple holsters, pockets, and sheaths.They were done gearing up and covering up in record time, piling into the van. With a low growl the car sprang to life and they were off towards the city.

Thankfully, the road into Zermatt was deserted until they reached the entrance of the city, where there was a toll booth. Then the city of Zermatt welcomed them in all the flouresence a city would provide this time of night. Tobyweaved his way through the traffic, making his way to the target, the Grand Hotel Zermatterhof.

After a little more weaving, Toby pulled into the parking garage of the five star hotel, passing himself off as maintenance to the guard. Toby weaved his was through the empty lots until he reached a secluded area in the far west corner of the lot.

" I got the car so that it hides the hatch, you guys better disappear fast." Said Toby quietly as he gestured outside.

" Got it." Said Ghost as he slid the right hand side door open and saw said hatch.

" You guys ready?" He asked as he turned to Nighthawk and Mojave as he slipped on his nightvision goggles and mask, it was a long, dark ways through the tunnels before they reached Yurich's layer.

" Do you even have to ask." Grinned Mojave as they stepped out of the van. Ghost gripped the handle of the hatch door and lifting it easily. A dark labyrinth of tunnels awaited them.

" Showtime." Growled Ghost as he jumped in, disappearing into the darkness, his two fellow operatives following.

The three operatives were surrounded by darkness as they made their way through the tunnels. They were following Mojave, who's many specialties included finding the best route. The schematics of the entire underground tunnel system of Zermatt was being transmitted into a special gauntlet on his arm that showed their location and their target. All thanks to a certain Mole they'd come to know and love, Mikaila Gordon.

The tunnels were winding like coiled snakes, the three of them were running as one at a comfortable pace. The layer consisted of one main lab and three smaller ones, all of which were heavily guarded. No problem, besides, Mikaila was a master of misdirection. She knew her part in all of this. Moles destroy from the inside, Snakes attack from the outside.

Meanwhile, in abuilding across from the Zermatterhof hotel,Derek Steele waswatching his three top agents at the temporary command center. He was on edge, natural for theman incharge.This was a big mission, stoppingYurich was a top priority. The CIA had been called in the moment this madman had vanished into the underground. Mikaila had managed to infiltrate Yurich's circle three months prior, as one of his survaillence techs. Perfect for them, with her access, she had implanted a virus in the entire security system. Now, Steele watched as his three operatives approached their target.

Back in the tunnels, Mojave signaled a few meters ahead and as they approached, the dim blue glow of light greeted them.

"Bingo." Thought Ghost grimly as they paused at thehole that led downwards, the massive lab in all its glory below them. Stealth would be on their side as Ghost pressed abutton on the comm-link device in his ear.

" Honey, show us your stuff." He drawled with a hidden smirk.

On cue, the lights that illuminated the entire structure flickered as one and then died, unleashing the intended chaos.

" Thank you Angelita."Growled Mojave, his anticipation evident.

He and Nighthawk turned their nightvision on and gazed at their leader, hued an eerie green as he jumped from their perch, swooping down like the spectre he was codenamed after.Mojave and Nighthawk followed without hesitation, the chaotic screams and yells from the other people in the now blacked out fascility hid thesound of their appraoch.

" Get yourself out of here Miki, it's gonna get ugly." Growled Ghost before switching off the comm and unsheathing hisSamurai sword.

Beneath his mask, Ghost wore an expression of predatory desire. Charlie Eppes, theeasy going math genius was taking a nap somwhere, Ghost the CIA Operative was in full force and he was out for blood.

Behindtheir leader,Mojave and Nighthawk pulled out their own weapons. Mojave's weapon ofchoice were twin 48 caliber Barretta handguns. Nighthawk had several of his favorite grenades and mini-bombsready.

" You guys know what you gotta do?" Asked Ghost intoa different comm-link.

" I head down to the labs, contain and destroy the smaller labs, but leave somthing for the clean up crew." Answered Nighthawk

" I go to the central computer system and download all of Russian dude's data." Answered Mojave.

" I take out the head hancho myself." Drawled Ghost.

" I'll see you guys later, kill only when you have to, incapcitate the rest. Keep yourselves alive." Said Ghost before the spilt up.

They were in for a long night.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS so don't sue me.

Chapter 21: The Best in the Business Can Still Have a Few Close Calls

Through the darkness, Ghost ran with all his might towards Yurich's location, the tracking device Mikaila had planted on the Russian madman was beeping steadily on the screen of Ghost's gauntlet. As he passed several stunned personnel huddled along the hall, a gaurd standing out in a vibrant shade of red in the Nightvision turned the corner and began to fire chaotically. Ghost easily ducked out of the way of the bullets and waited for this fool to stop firing. When the projectiles stopped flying. Ghost made his move, with a soft metallic _ching , _Ghost's samurai sword lashed out and caught the guard in the mid-drift. With a sickening wet sound andtwo soft thuds, Ghost continued running towards the blip on his gauntlet radar, not stopping to gaze at the man he'd just sliced in half.

Meanwhile, outside one of the smaller labs, Nighthawk was just finished with setting the timer on one of his specially designed grenades. This little baby could be called the " Mini Ice Age Maker". Everything within the blast radius would be frozen by the high powered nitogen gas compounded with a liquid based spreader. All of the bacteria samples that had been either weaponized or was going to be weaponized would be put of ice, a perfect gift for the clean up teams once they were done here. Nighthawk sent the grenade flying and got ready for the satisfying boom that followed. When the dust had settled, Nighthawk eyed his work. The entire sub lab was like a frozen wonder land.

_" One down"_ Thought Nighthawk as took off towards the two remaining labs. Ten minutes later, these two were also put on ice. Now Nighthawk had the task of taking out the mainlab.

In the now disabled control room, Mojave had just taken out two of the guards that had crossed his path, each receiving a third eye from the expert marksman. He now made his way over to the central computer and pulled out a special rebooter, which would give the computer back some of it's power, enough for him to extract the data he needed onto a few zip disks before he torched the entire place. The entire process would take a good twenty minutes where it would have taken three hours. He'd have to take Mikaila out to dinner after this. Now came the hard part, waiting and being ready to shoot, all in the relative dark. Thank God for nightvision, Mojave took a seat in the leather chair and went so far as to cross his legs as he kept one eye of the data download and the other on the door.

Things were going smoothly until a sound filled the comm-link.

" BANG BANG BANG" and the world stopped.

" Ghost? Nighthawk?" Asked Mojave into his comm-link

" Mojave? You alright?" Came the urgent voice of Nighthawk, much to the relief of Mojave, until he didn't get asecond answer.

" I'm ok,What about Ghost?" Asked Mojave urgently.

From where he stood, Nighthawk pressed a seperate button in his ear piece and spoke.

" Ghost? Ghostdo you here me, are you alright?" He asked, though in the pit of his stomach, he felt thebeginnings of cold fear as all he recievedwas static.

Then out of nowhere, a metallic_ " shing"_ passed through the link before an unearthly scream of shear agony followed.

" AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!"

Then a steady stream of curses in Russian was heard along with a slightly heavy breathing.

" Mojave, Nighthawk. Finish what you're doing and then raise Steele, tell him to getthe medics down here. Our friend Nikolai here's gonna need his arm reattached." Came a unbelievibly calm voice. Ghost.

" Ghost, man are you okay?" Asked Mojave as he finished loading the Zip disks and putting them in his pocket.

" I'll be great once we get out of here." Came thecurt reply.

From where he stood, looming over a bleeding Nikolai Yurich, Ghost was usingevery ounce of consentration he had to focus his mind on something other than the emmense amount of pain he was in.

Could he be blamed? He'd just taken three roundsto the chest, one of which was directed straight to his heart. Without the modified kevlarvest, he'd have died three times over.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 22: Cleaning Up and Counting Blessings

" Steele, get your guys down here ASAP, Yurich needs the medics fast before he bleeds to death!" Yelled Nighthawk as he ran to Ghost location, Mojave doing the same from his location.

" Understood." Said Steele before he pushed the button for a different link.

" Kingsly, Ballard, you guys are cleared for containment, bring HazMat and the Medics with you,the main prisoner is bleeding heavily." Said Steele curtly before heswitched back to his operatives.

Meanwhile, back in the layer, Mojave and Nighthawk had closed in on their leader's position. They barreled into the semi lit room and stopped when they sawthe outline ofGhost, kneeling beside a semi-conscious Yurich, tying a makeshift tourniquet around the stump where once there was a left arm. Said arm lay grotesquely beside the two men.

" Ghost, are you okay man?" Asked Mojave immediately.

Ghost finished tying off the tourniquet before he turned to his two fellow operatives.

" I'm okay, help me with Yurich, he's worth more to us alive, plus, someone better put that severed arm on ice if they want to reattach it." Said Ghost. This spurred the other two operatives into action. Nighthawk moved to help Ghost with Yurich while Mojave went to retrieve the arm.

" Steele, where's you cleanup teams?" asked Ghost into his comm link.

" They're inbound Ghost, what's your status?" Asked Steele.

" Beside the three rounds embedded in my vest, I'm just peachy." Said Ghost nonchalantly.

" Did he just say he had three round in his vest sir?" Asked one of the computer techs at the comand center. Steele silenced her with a stern look.

" The medics will be there in a few minutes, keep Yurich alive until then... Ghost, let them check you out." Said Steele.

" I just need some ice sir, nothing serious." Came the stubborn reply, causing the comander to sigh in slight exasperation.

" Fine, don't see the medics, Mikaila will check you out when you get back here." Said Steele with a finalty.

" Understood sir." Came the calm reply before the link was severed.

Steele heaved a small sigh. Thank God for Modified Kevlar.

Back underground, Ghost and Nighthawk had finished dragging Yurich towards the entrance in time to greet the search lights of the two cleanup teams.

Mojave strode forward and ignited a flare for the teams to see them from above. Within minutes the two teams were swarming around the four of them and in the resounding din, the Big Three slipped away into the darkness. They had to give the good to the delivery man. The three of them ran back the way they came, Mojave leading the way back to the hatch.

" Hey Cabby, you still there?" Asked Nighthawk into his earpiece.

" Yes, still here you guys comin' home?" Asked Toby.

" Yeah, we are, and we have a little present for the boss." Said Mojave as he joined into the conversation.

Ghost was in no mood for small talk. The three of them made on final turn before the collumn of light that seeped in from the surface was visible. The three slid off their nightvision goggles and masks offas theymade their way to the hatch.

Ghost was about to jump up and climb out first when a hand on both his arms stopped him. He glanced at the concerned but stone faces of Julio Vargas and Christian Wolfe.

The two of them jumped up and then climbed out of the hatch before extending their hands to their leader, meaning to pull him up. Secretly touched by the gesture but keeping a stoic face. Charlie reached out for both hands and allowed his fellow operatives to pull him out of the darkness of the labyrinth. Now Ghost slept, leaving Charlie Eppes to feel the agony that had been inflicted on his body.

The three of them piled into the white van once again glad beyond words that the mission was over. It was them that Charlie allowed himself to feel the agony he'd been keeping at bay.

With a groan,Charlie leaned against the inside of the van, his brow knitted in frustration and his eyes closed, trying to bare the pain. He slowly reached up and clawed at his vest, pulling out each slug that had been thankfully stopped by the Kevlar.

_" Clank... Clank...Clank" _Three partially flattened bullet rounds were pulled out and tossed onto the uncarpeted floor of the van.

Julio and Christian sprung into action,Julio set aboutdettaching some of the weapons Charlie had onwhile Christian began unfastening the kevlar vest, pulling it off,allowing Charlie to breathe better. All of this was done in silence, words weren't needed. Had Julio or Christian been injured in any way, Charlie would've tended to them the exact same way.

" Lay back Chuck, you're gonna be just fine." Said Christian while Julio gave a reassuring smile. Charlie gave them both a small nod before leaning back further against the side of the car grumbled to life.

" I'll try not to hit any pot holes." Said Tony quietly from the driver's seat. Their next destination was a small country lodgein the mountainoutskirts of Zermatt, on the other side of the city. But, they'd make a small stop at the apartment building across from the Zermatterhof, where Steele was waiting, for the Zip Disks, and secretly anxious to see his best operative's condition for himself.

The white van eased it's way through the Zermatt traffic and into the parking garage of the apartment building a few blocks away on the other side of the street.

When Toby pulled into the garage, a group of people were waiting for them, among them, Commander Steele and Mikaila Gordon. Toby eased the van to a stop before quickly getting out of the driver's seat and pulling the side door open. It slid back to reveal Julio and Christian both kneeling on either side of Charlie, pale and visibly showing a hint of the pain he was in.

" Check him out Gordon." Said Steele as he and Mikaila rushed forward.

Mikaila gently pushed both Julio and Christian out of her way as she began to check out Charlie's condition. Mythodically, she reached out and checked his pulse, strong and beating, she checked his eyes with a small penlight, pupils were good and responsive, then, she gently pulled up the black longsleeve shirt Charlie had worn under his vest. Mikaila saw Charlie barely hide a wince as he sat up slightly. The shirt pulled away to reveal the three telltale bruises that were forming over the sleekly muscled chest.

" You satisfied sweetie?" Asked Charlie gruffly with a tiny smile.

" He'll be okay. Just sore for a few days." Said Mikaila, secretly glad beyond words that Charlie had gotten away woth only three bruises.

" You two better but him on ice when you get to the lodge." Said Mikaila to the other two operatives.

" Yes ma'am." Answered Christian. Julio was standing beside Steele and handed over the goods. Three zip disks with all of Yurich's significant data.

" By the way boss. How is Yurich?" Asked Charlie from where he sat.

" He's gonna be alright, he's been taken to the Med unit underground. They're reattaching his arm as we speak. He'll live to be interrogated and sentanced for terrorist acts. Right now, you just take it easy Charles." Said Steele before he turned to Toby.

" Get them to the lodge ASAP, i'll call ahead so they have that ice ready." SAid Steele simply before he turned and headed back to the comand center.

" You heard the boss." Said Mikaila with a smile before she leaned forward and gave Charlie a small peck on the cheek, earning a wan smile from him.

" See you." She said to all four of them before she too disapeared into the building.

Toby, Julio, and Christian piled back into the van and within minutes were weaving through the Zermatt traffic.

" That was a close one." Said Charlie, more to himself then to anyone else.

_" Lucky for me, I'm good at playing possum."_ Thought Charlie as he settled in for the hour long drive.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 23: Some Much Needed R & R

The sun peaked over the Swiss horizon in a brillianty blaze of light. With a small groan of both pain and annoyance, Charlie Eppes arose from his slumber to the feel of a soft pillow beneath his head, and warm sheets cacooning his half-naked body. Deep brown, almost black eyes fluttered open and blinked several times, adjusting to the light. Stiffly, Charlie sat up over the sideof the bed, disentangling himself from the white sheets of his bed, Charlie looked around the room he was in, which had a stunning view of Zermatt and the mountains that surrounded it. He was at the lodge the CIA had so graciously provided.

With a small sigh, Charlie turned his gaze downward and frowned when he saw the now lividcircular bruise that graced the area right above his heart. Two more bruises had formed. Onebellow his left pectoral and the other justbellow that one on the opposite side.

_" Yurich, you asshole"_ Thought Charlie as he grumpily got to his feet and headed for the bathroom.

After he was done with the necessary morning actions, Charlie stripped himself of the black sleeping pants and boxers he had on before stepping into the shower. Within minutes hot steam filled the entire expance of the bathroom. The water was soothing over the discolored regions of his chest. After a good twenty minutes, Charlie turned the water off and wrapped one of the big fluffy white towels around his waist and stood before the mirror over the sink. He reached out and wiped away the fog that graced it and toom in the damage.

Three circular bruises, turned purple stood out against his pale flesh and ached dully. As he looked at himself in the mirror, a dozen thoughts ran through his mind, the chief being

" I could have died last night"

With a sigh, Charlie pulled out his shaving kit and dispposed of his morning stubble. Once he was done shaving, he finished toweling off his messy mass of curls before getting out of the bathroom and get dressed. He went over to his duffle bag and fished out several items, a pair of boxers, one of his favorite pairs of blue jeans with a torn right knee, and finally, a black t-shirt with a red skull and flames emblazoned across the chest. He quickly dressed and then brushed his hair back into a tight ponytail, he'd have to trim it later. He looked down at the wideband platinum ring that graced his right ring finger. He slipped it off and looped it through the silver chain hewore around his neck. He tucked the ring under his shirt and with a final look at himself in the mirror, he headed out of the room to check on his two men.

A little down the hall, Charlie found Julio's door ajar, giving him a view of the room's ocupant that he'd rather no have had.Julio Vargaswas laying facedown on his bed,wearing nothing but his birthday suit. With a calculating grin, Charlie slinked his way into the room and headed to the mini freezer Julio kept in his room and pulled out a few chips of ice. With a grin he stood to loom over his slumbering fellow operative and lowered the ice in his hands to Julio's bare back.

Instantly, Julio Vargas was awake, and let out a high pitched squeal, much like that of a teenage girl's.

" EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Charlie was beside himself with laughter, to the point where he was rolling on the carpeted floor, feeling both the ache from laughing so hard and the remnants of his brush with death from the night before.

" Oh I am gonna get you! Yelled Julio as he lunged at Charlie.

" Oh hell no, get away from me you naked mariachi man! Yelled Charlie breathlessly as he dodged his livid and nude friend and tried to run for the door only to collide with another person, Christian Wolfe, who'd come running to see who was dying. The two men collapsed in a heap of limbs while Julio loomed over them both. The two men on the floor looked up at Julio before both their gazes traveled south. Getting the message, Julio cursed in spanish before scrurrying off to find somthing to wear.

" Christian, could you please get off of me, you crushing my spleen. Said Charlie, grinning as Christian quickly disentangled himself.

" What the hell was goin on? Asked Christian as he pulled himself and Charlieup off the floor.

" I tell you what's goin on man, Chuck here dropped ice on my back! Said Julio crossly.

" What?it's Ten O'clock man, we'd be missing breakfast! Shrugged Charlie. Christian remain silent a moment before he spoke with a smile.

"Nice to see those bullets to the chest didn't take away your sense of humor." He chuckled. Charlie smiled back, while Julio's indignance quickly dicipated and a ghost of a smile graced his features and he pulled ona pair of jeans and a dark blue polo shirt with the Arizon Police department ensignia over the right pec. Christian had on pair of grey sweatpants and a dark red button up shirt. The three of them headed downstairs where breakfast was stillhot and waiting.

Anhour later, Charlie was headed out to the small garage attached to the lodge. He had doned a black and red riding jacket over his outfit along with a small backpack, aset of keys ready in his hands. He walked through the door and flipped on the light to reveal several high velocity vehicles. With a tinylittle smile, Charlie made his way over to his intended vehicle, a black and red HondaInterceptor ABS motorcycle. Contrary to popular belief, Charles Eppes was not a bad driver who easily got distracted, infact, he knew how to operate several vehicles, better than the pros at times.

Charlie picked up the red helmet and eased it over his head befor mounting the bike and putting the keys in the ignition. With a low growl, the bike came to life. Charlieeased the bike forward towards the closed garage door. He reached out and puched the button on the wall next to him and watched the dor slowly slid up to reveal the road before him.

With a rev of the engine, bike and rider shot forth as one, burning up the asphault.Charlie's destination was a small lake behind the mountain the lodge was situated at. The road leading to this lake was deserted and cut through a small forest.

As he drove, the high speed was like an intoxicating drung to Charlie's system. For one small moment, he felt free of his burden, his deceits, his kills, his very cold reality. In that moment he was free. Free to just be. He turned a corner and the lake revealed itself to him.

With a small sigh, Charlie eased up into the small parking space by the little pier that jutted out into the crystalline blue waters. Charlie switched of the ignition an dismounted. He took off his helmet and placed it behind the handlebars. With a wearly look around to see that he was alone. Charlie gripped his small backpack and walked off to the pier. The wood stood firmly beneath his foot falls until he reached the very end. Charlie looked out into the water, blue and mirror like. Charlie slowly sat down and leaned against one of the twin collumns of wood and unzipped his pack. He pulled out a notepad and a simple ball-point pen and began to write a letter, like he always did after a mission.

_Dear Mom, _

_Hey, how are things up there in the clouds. I'm writing to you again, just like you wanted me to the last time we spoke to each other that day. I can remember you saying " You will to write to me from down here won't you?". Well, another mission went down, we stopped this evil scientist from unleashing good knows what into Switzerland. It's really beautiful out here, it's quiet and breathtaking, reminds me of you. God, I miss you so much. And I know you aren't going to like what I write next. I got shot three times last night, thankfully my vest stopped them, got the bruises to prove it. Mom, I wish you here, still on this earth, when you were here,my reality wasnot so cold, so grey. I could tell you almost everything and not keep it all inside. The one thing I truely hate about this job is the lies I have to tell. I had to lie to you,Dad, Don, Larry, Amita,Megan, David, Colby, my students, hell I even had to lie to myself so many times I lost count. Sometimes it gets so badI just can't stand it. But I have to for their sake, and for mine. _

_It's strange, I don't feel scared right now, maybe because I feel close to you right now Mom. Sitting here, looking out at the water, I can almost see you smiling down at me. In the back of my mind, I can't help but wonder what the future mayhold for me. I may not be so lucky the next time I looking down the barrel of a gun. I can't say I'd die without any regrets cause that's just stupid. Right now, me and my buddies get a week off before heading back to the states and our civilian lives. Julio goes back to being an Arizona police officer who conveniently goes on months long servaillence operations. Christian goes back to being a New York pastry chef who works the big once a year party bashes. Then there's me, I go back to being the CalSci math proffessorwho somtimesgoes off to help the NSA with" Special Projects" and I tell you, Bob Thompkins is agreat friend to have. I don't know what I'm going to do when I get home. I just hope I don't end up spilling the beans, cause if I do, I'm a dead man. _

_I love you mom, not a day goes by that I don't think about you. Let Don and Dad think that I was too caught up in P vs NP to not go see you. We did said goodbye to each other, I told you as you fought to stay awake those last precious hours, that even if you and me had an eternity all for ourselves, it would never be enough time for you to know how much you saved me. _

_I Love You With All My Heart Mommy,_

_Charlie _

Charlie finished writing the last word with tears escaping from his eyes. However, he quickly scrubbed them away with the sleeve of his jacket. He didn't break down in sobs like most would have expected the " sensitive, innocent, little math geek" to do. Charlie reached into his back pocket and pulled out a silver lighter and with a flick of his wrist, a small blue flame erupted from the device. Charliepulled the letter free from the notepad and helda corner of the paper to the flame and watched as it instantly ignited.

Charlie watched somberly as the paper was devowered by theredish-orage flames until all that was left in his hand, was charred ashed. Charlie stared at the still smoldering remnants ofthe letter before turning himself to look over the water and blow the contents of his hand into the air, watching as a small wind picked up the ashes and bore them away.

Witha sigh, Charlie sat back against the wood pillar and gazed out at the water once more, memories of his mother and all whom he loved flashing through his mind. I was a smallmoment of solace in a chaotic existance, he savor it for as long as he could before it too would be dust in the wind.


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 24: Broken Mirror That Shows Nightmares

It was the start of another day for the city of Los Angeles, and as it would soon be discovered, the end of yetone moreyoung life...

The crimescene was buzzing with activity when Don and Colby were pulling up to it. They exited their cars and got ready for another day in the lives of FBI agents. They were on the case of a serial killer who targeted young men at random, this was his sixth victim.Don walked up toDavid and Megan who were already at the scene. The moment Don met Megan's gaze, he knew something was off. She looked haunted and pale, trying desperatly to keepit together. Behind, David mirrored the same expression.

" Hey, what's goin on?" Asked Don quietly, assuming that the homicide was pretty bad.

" Don, the vic is... umm... John Kirk, 31. He had hisID on him. He looks to have been stabbed multiple times and then bleed out." SaidDavid keeping his gaze away from the lumpy sheet covered form on the gurney a few feet behind him.

" How bad is it?" Asked Colby, eyeing the way his two other teammates were visibly shaken. In answer all he got was a look from both David andMegan. It was bad.

With a nod, Don strod past them both with Colby behind him.

" Don, wait before you..." Started Megan, but by then, Don had already asked thecoroner to pull back the sheet. The moment, the sheet was pulled back, two hearts stopped beatingall together. Don felt like someone had taken awhite hotknife and rammed int straight into his heart.

" Oh my God." Whispered Colby beforehe turned back to Megan and David in disbelief.

Lying of the gurney was a dead ringer for a certain math genius. John Kirk was the spitting image of Charlie Eppes.Unruly curls, a large nose, and a shadow of stubble. What was different, besides that fact that John was dead,were his eyes. Where Charlie's were a deep, vibrant brown,this man's were a cloudy dark blue. This wasn't Charlie, but it was an image the four agents could have done without.

The first thought that had run through Don's mind was_ " Oh my God Charlie, no!"_

Don finally let out a long breathe before he turned to Colby.

" Son of a Bitch." Whispered Don before he turned and sprang to action, he walked past his agents, a man on a mission. He turned to histemporarily stunned agents and then barked.

" What the hell are you all standing around here for, wehave a serial killer to catch. Get to work!" He yelled before he went off to talk to the patrol officer who'd found the body.

Several hours later...

The FBI team sat in the war room, crimescene photos of all of the victims were adorning the walls and white boards. Don's face was pale and drawn, his mouth an unhappy line as he gazed at the photos. Colby seemed to be off in another world, seeing John Kirk was a nasty shock to say the least. Megan and David were both concerned for their fellow agents, though deep down, they knew that this was a nightmare turned reality for all of them.

They had to pull themselves together, they had a killer to catch, and sitting here shaken wasn't going to solve anything.

" Okay, what do we know so far?" Asked Don.

" So far, this killer isescalating in his violence. His first vic, Joseph Malenio was strangled with some kind of rope, his latest victim, John Kirk, he was stabbed multiple times and then left to bleed to death. If he gets someone else, it's gonna be more messy than before." Said Megan with grim certainty.

WIth a nod, the four of them went back to their desks and began to try and catch this guy. They all worked well into the day.

" Hey guys, CSU just called, said that our vic, John Kirk, he found back real hard, they found a hefty amount of foreign DNA under his nails. Came back male, probably the closest we have to an ID." Said Colby as he put his desk phone.

" Have they found out who the DNA belongs to?" Asked Megan anxiously.

" Their still running it but, by the looks of it, the DNA might be to degraded, it rained a little last night." Said Colby.

" Well, it better than nothing. Hey listen up, Megan, you andDavid go check out the vic's place again, see if there's anything there. Me andColby, we'llgo talk to those who knew him." Said Don as he got up and put on his jacket. The four FBI agents filed into the elevator and headed downstairs before they spit up to do their tasks. As the two SUV's pulled away from the FBI building, a silver SUV pulled up.

1 hour later...

Don and Colby were sitting in the livingroom of John Kirk's parents house.The young man's mother was beyond tears, she sat in a coner of the room, clutching what looked likea ratty old teddy bear in her hands. The father had dead a few years earlier, John Kirks older brother, Micheal Kirk sat across from them on the verge of tears, talking fondly of his brother in a shaky voice.

Across town, Megan and David were scowering through Kirk's apartement, fromall offramed pictures, they could tell that there victimhad a love for life, pictures of him in rock climbing gear,skydiving, mountain biking.

" How do you think Don's handling this?" Asked David as he sifted through some mail.

" Better that I thought, but still,I can only imagine what's going through his mind. That was probably a nightmare turned reality forhim." Said Megan with a small faraway look.

" Not just him but Colby's been acting almost the same way too." Said David.

" Well, you must have noticed how close he and Charlie have gotten over the lastmonths before he disappeared. I actually caught a glimpse of a photo Colby keep in one of his desk drawers. Apparently he and Charlie had become goodgym buddies." Said Megan, smileing fondly to herself.

" Where did he go Megan?" Sigh David before he turned his full attention to the mail in his hands.

Two hours Later...

Don and Colby met up with Megan and David, the four of them headed inside, all the while discussing their findings. The elevator ride was thankfully uneventful and when the dorrs parted, they headed straight for theWar room.

" We still don't have much to go on." Said Don ashewalked, his head turned to his team behind him.

Megan was about to say somthing when she gasped and stopped dead. David and and Colby turned confused gazes to her before the followed her wide eyed gaze into the War room. Don watched as their gazes grew wide and disbelieving as well.

Don turned his gaze to what everyone else was looking at and his heart stopped dead for a full minute when his gaze fell on the figure standing before the wall of crimscene photos.

The man was dressed in a black suite jacket andacid washed blue jeans and had a mass of unruly curls of hair. Don watched in shock as the man turned around to gaze at them with deep, vibrant dark brown eyes.

" Charlie?..." Whispered Don.


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 25: A Round of Hugs and To Life Once Again

Don thought his eyes were in dire need of a check up as he gawked at his baby brother standing a few feet away from him. It was like everything else in the world had vanished and all that was left were the five people in the war room. The spell was broken when Charlie slowly walked to stand before his shell-shocked older brother. He reached out with his hand and placed it over his older brother's heart once again.

" Hi." Said Charlie with a very tired looking smile.

That was all Don needed to here before he lashed out and yanked Charlie into a bone crushing hug, unaware of the pain he was inflicting on Charlie's still bruised body. Charlie bit back the wince and returned his brother's hug tightly. When they finally pulled away, Don reached up and cupped Charlie face in both his hands before he spoke.

" Where the hell have you been?" He asked, successfully fighting back tears.

" It's a long story." Said Charlie with a grin, his eyes brighter than normal with unshed tears of his own.He thengazed past his brother at the three other similarly stunned faces,

" Hey guys." Said Charlie with a small wave of his hand.

The next thing he knew, three different pairs of armshad wrapped themselves around him in something he'd least expected, a group hug. Though his body was secretly screaming in protest, Charlie laughed out loud. The three otheragents let go and unleashed a barage of their own questions and greetings.

" Where have you been man? we all missed you" Asked Colby, giddy to have his beloved whizkid back.

" When did you get back?" Asked Megan beaming.

"You're here! Said a very thrilled David.

They watched as Charlie's smile faltered a little bit before he spoke.

" Listen, I can't tell you where I went because it's classified. NSA." Said Charlie, slightly apologetic. The three agents nodded in understanding, though they wished they'd gottn some answers. Charlie turned to a still stunned Don.

" What's been going on here since I left?" Asked Charlie. At that, Don snapped out of his trance.

" Charlie, I'll tell you later, right now, I'm taking you home." Said Don sternly. Charlie let out a small sigh, there was no arguing with Don when he used that tone.

" Okay." Said Charlie as he went over to one of the tables to get his duffle bag. with a final farewell to the team, the two brothers headed out of the building. All through the ride to the suburbs, Don kept glancing at Charlie in the passenger seat. Charlie was staring out the window with a far away look in his eyes.

_" Where have you been Buddy, What did you do?"_ Thought Don as they pulled off the highway into the quiet neighborhood they'd grown up in. Charlie seemed to have aged somewhat, the scruffy semi-beard he now sported also gave him a slighly edgy look. The far away look vanished somewhat when they were pulling into the driveway of their childhood home, which was now Charlie's house. The two brother's got out of the car and headed for the front door, Don using his set of keys to open the door.

Alan was having breakfast with Amita when he heard the door open. Wondering who it was he got up and headed for the foyer.When he got into the hall he stopped dead in his tracks when his gaze fell on his eldest son.

" Donnie? Asked Alan, he watched as Don grinned widely before stepping aside. Alan's felt his heart stop beating for a full minute before he rushed forward and all but tackled hisyoungest son in a vice-like hug.

" Charlie! He yelled in delight, squeezing the daylights out of his youngest child. Charlie returned the embrace just as tightly, burying his face into his father's shoulder. After what seemed an eternity, father and son pulled apart. Alan's eyes shone with unshed tears of joy, as did Charlie's. A flicker of movement behind Alan caught Charlie attention.

Charlie's smile grew when he saw Amita standing near the stairs. The two of them stared at each other for what seemed a countless amount of time before they both rushed forwards, propelling themselves into each others arms.

" Charlie". Said Amita, her voice shaky, smiling through unshed tears when they pulled back.

" Amita". Whispered Charlie before pulled her back into a hug. Don and Alan smiled to themselves as they watched the two.

A little while later, Larry came bounding into the house, ranting with joy and disbelief. Charlie was home again.

Charlie POV:

_Well, I'm home, back to my " Life" as the math geek and college professor. It's bittersweet, I know that deactivation won't last because like I said, the war between men will never end, no matter how idealistic people want their lives to be. I'm at peace for now, five months after the Zermatt mission. Me and Amita tried a releationship, but if failed and she went off to Boston. Still sore about that. I still consult for the FBI and workout at the gym with Colby and the guys, even taught them a thing or two about Kendo. I know that, even now, Don, Dad, and everybody else, they're terrified that I'll disappear again and not keep my promise of coming back. The future is not clear for me. In the back of my mind, I'm always waiting for that fateful phonecall._

_But, I do know, that I am Charles EdwardEppes A.K.A. Ghost, leader of the " Big Three Unit". I wouldn't have it any other way. _

The End... For know

I don't say much, but thank u all for liking this story, I won't disappoint with the next story

-Gothraven89


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